A seven-day winning streak for Chinese stocks came to an end, while all eyes are on Brussels following a pair of deadly explosions
Asian stocks finished the session mixed, with the biggest move coming out of Japan. Specifically, the Tokyo-based Nikkei shot 1.9% higher on a weaker yen, boosting exporters. Elsewhere, China's Shanghai Composite retreated 0.6% following
Monday's big bounce, snapping a seven-day winning streak. Stocks faced pressure after the People's Bank of China said that a quote from Governor Zhou Xiaochuan encouraging investment in stocks had been misinterpreted. Rounding things out, South Korea's Kospi gained nearly 0.4%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng finished down about 0.1%.
A series of explosions in Brussels that killed at least 21 people is taking a toll on European markets, especially among travel stocks. London's FTSE 100 and the French CAC 40 have each lost 0.6%, while the German DAX is off 0.4%. On the data front, traders in France and Germany are digesting mixed purchasing managers index (PMI) readings.
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