SINGAPORE - Asian stocks eased and currency markets were skittish on Thursday , as conoravirus cases rose in South Korea and Japan even as China added more stimulus via a rate cut to support its economy.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 traded 0.2 per cent softer while bonds firmed slightly and the US dollar rose. China cut its benchmark lending rate earlier on Thursday, as anticipated, adding to a slew of measures in recent weeks aimed at cushioning the virus' impact on the economy. South Korea's government reported 31 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, after a new outbreak traced to a church, bringing the number of people infected in the country to 82.
The yen was undermined by a run of weak data this week, but traders were unnerved when it blew past a support level at 110.30 per US dollar, broadening and accelerating its fall after that.