Asian Stocks Drop; Yen, Gold Gain

Asian stocks slipped with U.S. index futures extending the retreat in equities following the Federal Reserve report that said a slowdown in parts of the global economy could delay interest-rate increases. The yen climbed with gold and Treasury futures, while crude oil tumbled.

The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index fell 0.4 percent by 9:08 a.m. in Seoul, set for its lowest close since March. South Korea’s Kospi index slid 0.7 percent with Japanese markets closed for a holiday. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures lost 0.5 percent, after the gauge dropped the most since 2012 last week. The yen strengthened to a three-week high as currencies from Australia to Korea retreated. Gold jumped 0.6 percent. Oil in New York and London extended last week’s slumps, losing at least 1.3 percent.

Ten-year Treasury futures climbed to an 11-month high and Australian bonds advanced.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.5 percent, while the NZX 50 Index retreated 1 percent in Wellington.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.4 percent to 16,377. The index slid 2.7 percent last week, the most since August. Nasdaq 100 Index futures due in December declined 0.4 percent to 3,837.50.

S&P 500 futures slipped to 1,886.10 today, trading around levels closely watched by chart analysts. The S&P 500 December contract closed last week at 1,894.3, about 3 points below its lowest close from August and less than two points above the intraday low of 1,892.9 on Aug. 7. The 200-day moving average was 1,887.5 at the end of last week.

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