Pedestrians walk past a stocks display panel showing activity of the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong September 4, 2019. — AFP pic
But signs of a new pick-up in infections around the world and a lack of any movement on a new US stimulus package for the world’s top economy were keeping buying sentiment at bay. Shanghai climbed 0.4 per cent, with helping coming from news that a survey of Chinese manufacturing had shown a pick-up in activity, a day after an official reading showed a slight dip in the sector.
In early trade, London dipped as traders returned from a long weekend, though Paris and Frankfurt rose. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Republicans will soon unveil a new spending bill “for kids and jobs”, which is likely to come in at around US$1 trillion, less than half that offered by Democrats.