HONG KONG (Reuters) – Policymakers cross Asia are preparing measures to support financial markets as a rout deepened following sweeping tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump that stoked widespread recession worries.
Here are some of the announcements so far:
CHINA
China’s sovereign fund Central Huijin Investment said it was increasing holdings in China stocks, and would defend market stability, as the local market tumbled amid fears a widening trade war would unleash a deep recession.
It is “firmly optimistic about the development prospects of China’s capital market and fully recognizes the current investment value of A-shares.”
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s central bank said it would “intervene aggressively” in domestic foreign exchange markets when they re-open on Tuesday to stabilise “the rupiah exchange rate and maintaining” confidence in its markets.
Bank Indonesia said the intervention would come in the spot and non-deliverable forward markets and in secondary bond markets, adding that it had already intervened offshore in Asia, European and New York markets.
TAIWAN
Taiwan’s top financial regulator said it would impose temporary curbs this week on short-selling of shares to help deal with potential market turmoil from the tariffs.
The Taiwan Stock Exchange chairman said the bourse would coordinate with the financial regulator to take further stabilisation steps if needed to handle any volatility.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea’s financial regulator asked firms and state institutions to be prepared to provide liquidity support for exporting companies and their contractors impacted by tariffs, and said it would prepare a market stabilising programme worth 100 trillion won ($68.08 billion).
The Bank of Korea said it stood ready to deploy market stabilising measures.
(Reporting by Jiaxing Li; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
