US Monetary Policy

Late last week, expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike in December 2015 heightened after the US economy added 271,000 jobs in October, far above the market consensus of 185,000 jobs, while the US unemployment rate fell to 5 percent, the lowest since 2008. Higher US interest rates should give rise to capital outflows from emerging markets.

Japan

Positive data from the USA gave rise to a stronger US dollar. The yen was one of the many currencies that depreciated against the greenback. However, this has a positive impact on Japanese shares as export-related stocks jump higher.

China

Over the weekend, Chinese authorities announced that the world's second-largest economy experienced a drop in imports (for 12 consecutive months), while exports fell for a fourth consecutive month. China's imports declined 18.8 percent (y/y) to USD $130.8 billion, while the country's exports declined 6.9 percent (y/y) to USD $192.4 billion. Weakening trade data cause further concern about China's economic slowdown. However, weak data also cause expectation of further stimulus measures.

Moreover, Chinese authorities announced that initial public offerings (IPOs) are to be allowed again in China after being suspended in July due to the bursting of China's stock market bubble.

Over the weekend, the central bank of China also reported that the country's foreign exchange reserves rose by USD $11.39 billion to USD $3.526 trillion in October, effectively ending a five-month streak of monthly declines.

Bahas