TOKYO: Tokyo shares opened lower Monday despite positive economic growth numbers as market attention stayed fixed on tension between the United States and North Korea. Instead they were keeping watch on North Korea and the US for further clues in their standoff over Pyongyang’s threat to launch missiles towards the western Pacific island of Guam, a US territory. Trump has hinted at military options against North Korea and said that Pyongyang would face “fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it were to keep making threats. Tokyo investors, returning to the market after a three-day weekend, were playing a catch-up after Asian and European shares dropped Friday. The dollar, meanwhile, stood at 109.33 yen, edging up from 109.11 yen in New York on Friday, but still sharply lower than 109.99 yen seen Thursday in Tokyo before the long weekend.

Source: Manila Times August 14, 2017 02:03 UTC