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Asian stocks suffer sell-off as virus uncertainty casts shadow
by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) April 1, 2020

HSBC and Standard Chartered shares dive after dividends scrapped
Hong Kong (AFP) April 1, 2020 - HSBC and Standard Chartered shares nosedived in Hong Kong on Wednesday after the banking giants said they were cancelling dividends and buybacks at the request of regulators because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcements came after Britain's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) wrote to lenders to ask them to cancel payments of any outstanding dividends to secure capital reserves for the ongoing economic crisis.

HSBC's shares plunged 9.51 percent to HK$40.0 while Standard Chartered fell 7.64 percent to HK$39.9 ($5.2) on the Hang Seng Index.

UK-listed banks Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays also cancelled dividends.

The PRA welcomed the decision to suspend dividends and buybacks and said it also expected banks "not to pay any cash bonuses to senior staff, including all material risk-takers".

Banks are being hammered by market volatility and the economic slowdown caused by the virus crisis. But they are also on the receiving end of huge bailouts and support from central banks and regulators.

The HSBC board said it has cancelled the fourth interim dividend and will "make no quarterly or interim dividend payment" or "undertake any share buy-backs" until the end of 2020.

"The board regrets the impact this cancellation will have on our shareholders," HSBC said in a statement.

The Asia-focused bank axed 35,000 jobs in February and posted slumping annual profits for last year.

Standard Chartered said it had made a similar decision to suspend its share buy-backs programme after "careful consideration" following the PRA request.

It added that the final dividend of 2020 will take into account the financial performance of the group for the full year and the medium-term outlook at that time.

Both banks are expecting their first quarter results near the end of April.

Asian and European markets mostly dropped Wednesday after suffering a diabolical first quarter, with traders contemplating the prospect of lengthy lockdowns as the coronavirus continues its deadly sweep across the planet.

With the number of infected and dead still surging in Europe and the United States, hopes are fading that strict containment measures keeping billions of people at home will be lifted any time soon.

That, in turn, is stoking uncertainty about the outlook for the global economy -- which is widely expected to slip into recession this year -- while there are also concerns about how long any recovery will take.

US President Donald Trump said he was extending social distancing and stay-at-home orders for another 30 days to the end of the month, while members of his virus task force warned almost a quarter of a million Americans could die from the disease.

"The demand shock for oil and for the global economy more broadly will be more significant if mobility and social interaction restrictions stay in place beyond April," said AxiCorp's Stephen Innes.

"The real question for investors isn't how shockingly bad the first quarter is going to be -- sadly that's a given -- it's how long the weakness will persist and, as a consequence, how much permanent damage will be done."

He added that "while the full effects of these disruptions are not yet evident, it is clear that the economy is experiencing the most abrupt and severe contraction since the Great Depression".

And Rodrigo Catril, of National Australia Bank, said in a note: "Overall, there seems to be an increasing risk that markets are underestimating the length containment measures will be implemented across the globe. China and now Italy are also showing that the removal of these containment measures will be slow."

There has been a little good news, with fresh data Wednesday showing another surprise return to growth in China's factory sector. The Caixin purchasing managers index last month came in slightly above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction, having hit a record low in February.

The figure came a day after an official reading that also came in well above forecasts, providing hope the world's number two economy is slowly grinding back to work after a long lockdown.

- Saudis 'digging in' -

But Asian markets, after a broadly upbeat start to the day, ended in negative territory, with Tokyo plunging 4.5 percent and Singapore more than two percent. Mumbai and Seoul sank more than three percent, while Shanghai, Taipei and Jakarta were also lower.

Hong Kong lost more than two percent, with market heavyweight HSBC plunging more than nine percent and Standard Chartered bank more than seven percent after they scrapped dividends and warned of a severe impact to revenues.

Sydney, however, enjoyed another strong day, rallying 3.6 percent.

London, Paris and Frankfurt all tumbled.

While there remains a lot of uncertainty on markets, and further turmoil is forecast, the past week had seen some stability return to trading floors, thanks to the massive stimulus pledges.

"The recent stabilisation in prices had been touted in some quarters as evidence that perhaps the worst of the declines of the last quarter may well be behind us," said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.

"In reality the recent rebound was probably due to month and quarter end rebalancing of portfolios."

Oil slipped, as Saudi Arabia began ramping up output as it presses on with a price war with Russia. However, there was some support after Trump said the two would hold talks, as he frets over the hit to US energy firms from the plunge in the crude market.

"They're going to get together and we're all going to get together and we're going to see what we can do," Trump said. "Because you don't want to lose an industry. You're going to lose an industry over it."

However, Innes added that the Saudi decision to boost output "is yet another signal that Saudi is digging in. The risk remains skewed to the downside for oil until this changes, and/or COVID-19 news flow turns positive".

- Key figures around 0810 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 4.5 percent at 18,065.41 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 2.2 percent at 23,085.79 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 2,734.52 (close)

London - FTSE 100: FTSE 100: DOWN 4.0 percent at 5,444.73

Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $22.74 per barrel

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $20.36 per barrel

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0973 from $1.1037 at 2130 GMT

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 107.50 yen from 107.63 yen

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2358 from $1.2420

Euro/pound: DOWN at 88.80 pence from 88.82 pence

New York - Dow: DOWN 1.8 percent at 21,917.16 (close)

dan/fox

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK

HSBC


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