Japanese stocks play catch up after the long weekend
The beat down in the Nikkei today is largely to do with the catch up play to Wall Street losses yesterday, with Chinese stocks also experiencing a more noticeable decline today.
Asian equities in general are more mixed though, with the more positive mood in US futures helping to alleviate some pressure after the bloodbath yesterday.
Mainland Chinese equities have moved off the lows earlier - down by less than 1% now - and we're seeing the Hang Seng keep near flat levels on the day currently.
The overall risk mood is keeping slightly more positive (retracement or profit-taking) but sentiment remains fragile after the beating yesterday, with coronavirus headlines still the key spot to watch for investors today.
The major currencies space is seeing more calm with little change since the morning, but gold is keeping lower after the retracement in early hours trading today - now down by 0.6% to levels just under $1,650 again.
