HONG KONG (AFP): Markets fell in Asia on Thursday (Aug 19) following a second straight day of losses on Wall Street in response to Federal Reserve minutes indicating it could begin withdrawing its huge financial support by the end of the year.
Expectations of an end to the largesse that helped drive a global equity rally for more than a year added to the already sombre mood on trading floors caused by the fast-spreading Covid Delta variant, which is forcing a re-evaluation of the economic recovery as fresh curbs are put in place.