World Markets Lower After China's 5% Growth Target

Beijing, Mar 5 (AP) Shares were mostly lower in Europe and Asia on Tuesday following a decline on Wall Street. US futures and oil prices also fell.

Germany's DAX lost 0.3% to 17,670.90 and the CAC 40 in Paris was also 0.3% lower, at 7,936.95. Britain's FTSE 100 likewise fell 0.3%, to 7,615.23.

The future for the S&P 500 was down 0.4% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%.

Hong Kong's benchmark sank 2.6% after China's premier said the country's target for economic growth this year is around 5%, in line with expectations. China's economy expanded at a 5.2% annual rate last year after growth dipped to 3% in 2022.

Li Qiang, addressing the opening meeting of China's National People's Congress, also said Beijing would issue 1 trillion yuan ($139 billion) in long-term bonds to help bridge funding gaps, provide support to financially strapped local governments and invest in both advanced technology and in social support and education.

He said China would expand government-subsidised housing, part of a programme aimed at reversing a downturn in the property market after a crackdown on excess borrowing caused dozens of developers to default on their debts.

But the government's intention to keep its deficit at 3% of China's GDP disappointed investors hoping for more aggressive action, Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

“The unchanged target of 3% fell below expectations and signaled a cautious approach to fiscal policy,” he said.

The congress is the year's biggest political event, though it mainly just endorses policies set by top leaders of the ruling Communist Party.

The initial reaction to Li's address and the annual budget report, also issued Tuesday, appeared tepid. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 2.6% to 16,162.64 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.3% to 3,047.79, barely budging for most of the day.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index ended flat at 40,097.63, just below Monday's record close.

In Seoul, the Kospi sank 0.9% to 2,649.40, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.2% lower to 7,724.20.

India's Sensex declined 0.3% while Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.4%.

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.4%.

Momentum slowed for US stocks following their roar higher on excitement that inflation appears to be cooling, cuts to interest rates may be coming and the US economy has so far shrugged off predictions for a recession. At the same time, a frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology has catapulted some stocks to stratospheric heights.

Super Micro Computer, which sells server and storage systems used in AI and other computing, jumped another 18.6% Monday. It has surged nearly 1,000% in the last 12 months.

The poster child of AI mania is Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the move into AI. It rose another 3.6% Monday to bring its gain for the year so far to 72.1% after more than tripling in 2023.

Several events scheduled for this week could upset the market.

On Wednesday, the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, will testify before a House of Representatives committee about monetary policy. He has said the Fed's next move will likely be a cut, but he's also said it needs more evidence that inflation is falling decisively toward its 2% target. That was before reports recently showed inflation at both the consumer and wholesale levels were higher than expected.

A report on Friday will show how the US job market is doing, with economists forecasting a slowdown from January's strong growth.

Several retailers will also offer their latest earnings reports this week. They include Costco Wholesale, Gap and Nordstrom.

In other trading early Tuesday, US benchmark crude oil shed 18 cents to $78.56 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 5 cents to $82.75 per barrel.

The US dollar slipped to 150.42 Japanese yen from 150.53 yen. The euro also fell, to $1.0855 from $1.0856.