Asian
stocks fell even amid speculation the European Central Bank will boost
stimulus through a sovereign-bond purchase program under the
quantitative-easing strategy.
The
MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.1 percent to 134.46 as of 9:05 a.m. in
Tokyo before markets open in China and Hong Kong. An ECB Executive Board
proposal calls for as much as $1.3 trillion in asset purchases through
the end of 2016, according to two euro-area central-bank officials who
have seen the document. The Standard & Poor™s 500 Index added 0.5
percent and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.6 percent to extend a
seven-year high yesterday.
Japan™s
Topix index slid 0.1 percent. Australia™s S&P/ASX 200 Index
advanced 0.5 percent and South Korea™s Kospi index added 0.4 percent.
New Zealand™s NZX 50 Index added 0.2 percent after yesterday closing at a
record high.
The
ECB proposal could still be changed significantly, the people said,
asking not to be identified as it is confidential. Purchases won™t start
before March 1, one of the people said. The central bank will announce
its policy decision today.
Source: Bloomberg
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