Asian shares mixed as fears for Italy intensify

HONG KONG—Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday as Italy’s deepening debt and political crisis overshadowed progress by Greece, another stricken eurozone member, towards installing a new government.

Italy’s borrowing rates have soared to unsustainable levels with the yield on its 10-year government bonds hitting a record 6.676 percent on Monday, although it had eased slightly to 6.582 percent in Asia early Tuesday.

“Politics are now keeping markets on edge,” said Khoon Goh, strategist at ANZ bank in Wellington.

“Greece may still be hogging the headlines at present, but we could be moving from a Greek crisis towards an Italian crisis if policymakers do not address the situation soon,” he told Dow Jones Newswires.

The Italy situation weighed on the euro in early Asian trade with the common currency dipping to $1.3755, compared with $1.3773 late Monday in New York and at 107.34 yen, from 107.52 yen.

The dollar was flat, trading at 78.03 yen.

In Italy, the 17-nation eurozone’s third-largest economy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is under mounting pressure to resign over his handling of the country’s economic troubles.

In Greece however, the two main political parties were said to be on track to naming a new premier and unity government as world leaders pressed for Athens to quickly agree to a bailout deal and avert a crippling default.

Tokyo stocks were 0.17 percent lower by the break and Seoul dipped 0.20 percent. But Hong Kong rose 0.70 percent in morning trade, Sydney added 0.24 percent and Shanghai climbed 0.10 percent.

Wall Street saw a late rally on the Greece progress, with the Dow ending 0.71 percent higher, the Nasdaq up 0.34 percent and the S&P 500 gaining 0.63 percent.

Under-pressure Berlusconi dismissed talk of his possible resignation as “baseless” and warned against calls for the creation of a national unity government like Greece, saying that it would be “the opposite of democracy”.

Berlusconi last week agreed to special surveillance from the International Monetary Fund and European Union to ensure his government meets crucial targets to cut its $2.6 trillion debt.

The country’s low growth rate and the debt mountain have stoked investor fears that Italy could be the next to fall in Europe’s ongoing crisis, which many fear could tip the world back into recession.

In Tokyo the broader market was dragged by a 29 percent slump for Olympus after the company said that a panel’s probe into some of its past deals found they were used to cover up huge losses on investments in the 1990s.

The camera maker has now lost 70 percent of its value since its British former CEO raised questions about four takeovers and the payment of massive advisory fees.

On oil markets New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, gained eight cents to $95.60 per barrel. Brent North Sea crude for December delivery rose 22 cents to $114.78.

At 0300 GMT gold was higher at $1,792.10 an ounce against $1,763.55 late Monday.