China's Communist Party issued stern warnings against short sellers and speculators in a show of support for the stock market
Stocks in Asia maintained their
positive momentum from last Friday, amid rising expectations of additional stimulus measures -- perhaps as early as this Friday, when the Bank of Japan is set to issue a decision on monetary policy -- and an overnight bounce in crude futures. Specifically, Tokyo's Nikkei muscled 0.9% higher, boosted by huge gains at Japan Tobacco. South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Rounding things out, China's Shanghai Composite popped 0.8%, as a pair of government-controlled publications warned speculators and short sellers that they will "suffer huge losses" and "possibly severe legal consequences."
European markets are mixed at midday following a reversal in oil prices. Germany's DAX was last seen up 0.01%, boosted by an upwardly revised profit forecast for tech titan Wincor Nixdorf. Elsewhere, London's FTSE 100 is 0.07% higher and the French CAC 40 is off 0.06%.
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