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GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares fall as N. Korea suspends talks, U.S. yields climb

Published 16/05/2018, 02:02 pm
Updated 16/05/2018, 02:10 pm
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares fall as N. Korea suspends talks, U.S. yields climb

* MSCI ex-Japan down 0.2 pct, Nikkei down 0.4 pct

* U.S. 10-year yield rises on strong retail sales

* North Korea cancels South Korea talks, weighing on sentiment

* Dollar at 2018 high on yield advantage

By Andrew Galbraith and Tomo Uetake

SHANGHAI/TOKYO, May 16 (Reuters) - Asian stock markets dipped on Wednesday after Pyongyang abruptly called off talks with Seoul, throwing a U.S.-North Korean summit into doubt, while surging bond yields revived worries about faster U.S. interest rate hikes that could curb global demand.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.2 percent as Pyongyang's move appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and with Washington. cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore could see tensions on the Korean peninsula flare again even as investors worry about China-U.S. trade tensions and the sustainability of global economic growth.

"This will weigh on the Korean reconstruction beneficiaries that have had a strong run on peace and even reunification hopes recently," JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) analysts wrote in a note.

"The broader risk for the region if talks do break down is that Trump no longer feels the need to keep China on side and could escalate trade tensions again."

Strong U.S. retail sales and factory data on Tuesday pushed the U.S. 10-year yield through a key level to hit 3.095 percent, its highest since July 2011, raising worries about higher borrowing costs for companies worldwide.

The 10-year yield US10Y=RR was last at 3.063 percent.

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The rise in yields hurt U.S. share markets on concerns it would undercut stock valuations. .N

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 193.00 points, or 0.78 percent, to 24,706.41, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 18.68 points, or 0.68 percent, to 2,711.45 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 59.69 points, or 0.81 percent, to 7,351.63.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei .N225 slid 0.4 percent, while South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 struggled for traction.

Stocks in China .SSEC dipped as traders awaited news from a second round of Sino-U.S. trade talks in Washington this week, with both sides believed to be still far apart. But Australian stocks .AXJO bucked the trend and advanced 0.4 percent.

CURRENCIES

The strong U.S. data underpinned the dollar in currency markets.

The US dollar index .DXY , which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, hits a 2018 high of 93.46 on Tuesday and last stood at 93.31.

The euro fell to as low as $1.18155 EUR= , its lowest level in about five months.

The dollar held firm at 110.27 yen after having hit a near four-month high of 110.45 yen JPY= on Tuesday.

The yen largely shrugged off data that showed Japan's economy shrank by 0.6 percent on an annualised basis in the January-March quarter, a sharper contraction than the median estimate of 0.2 percent and marking the end to eight straight quarters of expansion.

"U.S. retail data assured that the world is still in a synchronised global growth. If U.S. retail had been a disappointment, the market would have taken Japan's GDP more negatively," said Tohru Yamamoto, chief fixed income strategist at Daiwa Securities.

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High-yielding Asian currencies were particularly vulnerable to higher U.S. yields, which could prompt investors to shift funds out of emerging markets.

The Indonesian rupiah IDR= hit a 2-1/2-year lows while the Malaysian ringgit MYR= hit a four-month low.

The South Korean won KRW=KFTC was steadier but the country's bond yields KR10YT=RR rose to the highest level since late 2014.

In commodities markets, gold slightly rebounded after hitting a 4 1/2-month low the previous day on a strong dollar.

It stood at $1,294 per ounce XAU= , off Tuesday's low of $1,289.30. GOL/

Crude oil prices remained near recent highs amid concerns U.S. sanctions on Iran may restrict crude exports from a major producer.

U.S. light crude CLc1 was 0.4 percent lower at $71.06 after reaching $71.92 on Tuesday, its highest level since November 2014.

Brent crude oil LCOc1 traded at $78.21 a barrel, down 0.3 percent. On Tuesday, it reached an intraday peak of $79.47 a barrel, its highest since November 2014.

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