Pedestrians are reflected in a window in front of a board displaying stock prices at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Sydney, Australia, February 9, 2018. REUTERS/David GraySYDNEY, 24 December 2018: Asian stocks were subdued on Monday as investors fretted that political instability in the United States was leaving the country rudderless at a time when the global economy was showing signs of faltering.Moves were limited by a holiday in Japan while many bourses are set to close early for Christmas. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS lost 0.5 percent to its lowest in seven weeks.Yet Chinese blue chips .CSI300 managed to edge up 0.2 percent, while E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 recouped early losses to rise 0.4 percent.U.S. Spot gold XAU= stood at $1,261.05 per ounce.Oil prices were near their lowest since the third quarter of 2017, having shed no less than 11 percent last week. [O/R]U.S. crude was last unchanged at $45.59 a barrel, while Brent LCOc1 dipped 12 cents to $53.70.

Source: Egypt Today December 24, 2018 02:48 UTC