Asian stocks head for weekly losses as Bitcoin gains almost 20%

Asian equities were headed for weekly losses Friday as elevated U.S. Treasury yields and renewed oil-price pressure strained risk assets. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell as much as 0.8% and was on course for a roughly 4% weekly decline, while South Korean and Taiwanese stocks recovered modestly but remained set to finish lower. The broader MSCI Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose 0.5% Friday, insufficient to erase earlier losses. Bitcoin gained almost 20% this week to about $74,300 after reaching $75,500, while spot gold climbed as high as $4,601.29 an ounce and was headed for a third consecutive weekly gain. The divergence has renewed debate over whether Bitcoin and gold can act as stores of value during bond-market stress, although Bitcoin's earlier correlation with technology stocks has weakened that safe-haven argument. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield returned to about 5.25% and the 10-year yield approached 4.7%, pressuring expensive technology and growth stocks. Brent crude briefly reached $94.71 a barrel amid renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and tougher U.S. sanctions threats before easing to around $93.12. U.S. stocks also fell sharply Thursday after initial buyback relief faded, with the Dow losing 703 points, Walmart dropping 9% on soft U.S. sales, the S&P 500 down 1.9% for the week through Thursday and the Nasdaq down 2.5%. Nvidia's upcoming earnings are the next major test for the artificial-intelligence trade and broader risk appetite, with investors watching whether a Wall Street-driven reversal could pull all major asset classes lower together.

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