Asia markets set to open weaker, U.S. debt ceiling deal still elusive

Asia-Pacific markets are set to open weaker as ongoing debt ceiling discussions appeared to yield little progress in the U.S.

“The president and I know the deadline, so I think we’re going to talk every day … until we get this done,” U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Monday.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 is set to fall with the futures contract in Chicago at 30,775, and its counterpart in Osaka at 30,670 against its last close at 30,957.77.

In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,241, lower than the index’s last close of 7,259.9.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index looks set to extend its losses from a two-month low, with futures at 19,285 compared to the HSI’s close of 19,431.25.

Asia investors will be watching the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s benchmark policy rate today, with economists polled by Reuters expecting the bank to hike rates by 25 basis points to 5.5%.

New Zealand will also see its first quarter retail sales numbers out on Wednesday.

Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes fell, with the Nasdaq Composite leading losses at 1.26% lower, while the S&P 500 lost 1.12% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.69%.

— CNBC’s Samantha Subin and Alex Harring contributed to this report