HONG KONG—Asian traders moved cautiously Monday as news that the FBI would further probe Hillary Clinton’s emails fueled fresh uncertainty about the outcome of the US presidential election just eight days before the vote.
Traders globally had broadly expected Democratic candidate and Wall Street favorite Clinton to sweep to victory, with her rival Donald Trump considered a loose cannon.
But FBI chief James Comey’s announcement that he was again looking at her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state sent shudders through trading floors, with US stocks tumbling and the dollar taking a hit.
The sell-off filtered through to Asia, where dealers are also nervously awaiting a series of key events this week, including central bank policy meetings in Japan and the US and the release of US jobs figures Friday.
Trading conditions this week will be “slippery and shifty”, said Stephen Innes, senior trader at forex firm OANDA.
“The calendar is full of high-risk events making for a treacherous path to navigate in the lead-up the monumental November 8 US election,” he said in a note.
Tokyo’s Nikkei ended 0.1 percent lower and Shanghai closed 0.1 percent off, while Seoul slipped 0.6 percent and Taipei was 0.2 percent off.
But Hong Kong reversed early gains to sit 0.2 percent higher in the afternoon and Sydney rose 0.6 percent.