(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AFP
Hong Kong: Asian markets turned negative yesterday as Republicans' struggle to push through controversial health care legislation fuels concerns about the chances of Donald Trump passing his much-vaunted economic agenda.
Global markets soared in the months after the tycoon's November election victory as traders bet his plans to slash taxes and red tape while ramping up infrastructure spending would fire the world's top economy.
But his failure to pass an overhaul of Obamacare mdash; a key campaign promise mdash; despite his party controlling Congress has led many to question on his ability to deliver his major promises.
The president's lack of detail on his economic plans led the International Monetary Fund to cut its 2017 and 2018 US growth projections.
"US lawmakers have withdrawn the Senate Health Care Bill till after the summer recess. This is a blow to the Trump agenda because it makes tax cuts all the more difficult," said Greg McKenna, Chief Market Strategist at AxiTrader. All three main indexes on Wall Street ended sharply lower mdash; with technology firms suffering a fresh hit mdash; and the losses filtered through to Asia.
Tokyo's Nikkei ended the morning session 0.3 percent lower, while Hong Kong lost 0.5 percent, Singapore gave up 0.1 percent and Seoul dropped 0.2 percent.
Wellington, Taipei and Manila also retreated but Sydney edged up 0.2 percent.
On currency markets the euro extended gains against the dollar after European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi said the EU was enjoying a newfound confidence that could unlock demand and investment.
And while he cautioned against winding down the bank's easy money policy, analysts said the Italian was more hawkish than expected.
Stephen Innes, Senior Trader at OANDA, said in a note: "An emphatically hawkish Mario Draghi suggests the ECB policy is on track while all but declaring victory over the eurozone inflation conundrum. Apparently, the ECB has taken a giant leap towards ending (its) ultra-loose monetary policy."
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