Asia markets fall as Wall Street sees sell-off after U.S. credit downgrade

Hong Kong’s business activity fell into contraction territory for the first time in 2023, according to private surveys from S&P Global.

The purchasing managers index for July came in at 49.4, in contrast to the expansionary figure of 50.3 seen in June.

S&P Global said a renewed decline in overall new orders resulted in lower output in July. However, the report also pointed out the pace of business activity contraction was mild, “with new business from abroad and Mainland China remaining in growth.”

— Lim Hui Jie

The cost of hedging against a potential stock market downturn has hit a 15-year low, according to research by Bank of America.

The Wall Street bank named a “cheap” options trade that will benefit investors if the S&P 500 fell by 10% over the next 12 months.

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— Ganesh Rao

South Korean internet giant Kakao Corporation saw its profits tumble by 44% year on year in the second quarter to 56.3 billion South Korean won ($43.4 million).

The company explained that the fall in profits were from a high base due to a stock disposal gain seen in the same period last year.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, net profit slid 12%. Still, revenue for the second quarter increased 12% year on year to 2.04 trillion won.

This is also the first quarter after Kakao subsidiary Kakao Entertainment acquired a 39.9% stake in K-pop agency SM Entertainment, ending a high profile takeover battle with entertainment rival Hybe, which manages supergroup BTS

— Lim Hui Jie

The selloff in the S&P 500 Wednesday was broad based, with 413 stocks declining in the broader index. There were 87 advancers in the benchmark.

The biggest loser was backup power generator company Generac, which was last down by more than 23%. Paycom Software and SolarEdge Technologies dropped more than 18%.

The best-performing stock was Waters Corporation. That name was up by more than 7% in afternoon trading.

— Sarah Min

Communication services and information technology stocks lagged during Wednesday’s session, falling more than 2% each.

The communication services sector dropped 2.1%. Electronic Arts led the declines, last down nearly 7%. Take-Two Interactive and Meta Platforms dropped more than 3% each, while Alphabet, Walt Disney and Netflix all fell more than 2%.

Information technology names were among the worst-performing stocks, with the sector last down 2.5%. SolarEdge was the biggest laggard, cratering nearly 19% on disappointing guidance. First Solar dropped more than 6%.

Advanced Micro Devices tumbled more than 7% despite better-than-expected results. The downward move rippled across the semiconductor and software industries, with Nvidia and Micron Technology last down 5.8% and 4.6%, respectively. Palo Alto Networks edged 7% lower.

— Samantha Subin

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement that she disagreed with Fitch’s decision to downgrade the U.S.’ debt.

“The change by Fitch Ratings announced today is arbitrary and based on outdated data,” Yellen said in a statement. “Fitch’s quantitative ratings model declined markedly between 2018 and 2020 – and yet Fitch is announcing its change now, despite the progress that we see in many of the indicators that Fitch relies on for its decision.”

“Many of these measures, including those related to governance, have shown improvement over the course of this Administration, with the passage of bipartisan legislation to address the debt limit, invest in infrastructure, and make other investments in America’s competitiveness,” Yellen added.

— Fred Imbert