Asia markets trade lower as China cuts key 5-year lending rate

China’s central bank has cut the benchmark five-year loan prime rate for the first time since June, while leaving the one-year tenure unchanged.

The Chinese central bank kept its one-year loan prime rate — the peg for most household and corporate loans in China — unchanged at 3.45%. It cut the five-year loan rate — the peg for most mortgages — by 25 basis points to 3.95%, according to a statement Tuesday from the People’s Bank of China.

“I think this time the 25 basis point cut, from my perspective, [is] definitely a very positive sign,” said William Ma, chief investment officer of Grow Investment Group, adding that the government and regulators are showing that the banks are in good fiscal health.

—Clement Tan, Lee Ying Shan

Oil prices were mixed after Iran-backed Houthi militant group on Sunday damaged a ship offshore Yemen, prompting its crew to abandon the vessel in the latest escalation of maritime tensions that have disrupted key trade routes in the Red Sea.

Global benchmark Brent traded 0.19% lower at $83.4 a barrel, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures stood 0.33% higher at $79.45 per barrel.

The wider commodity markets have appeared to “shrug off” the Red Sea attacks thus far, Oxford Economics wrote in a note following the aftermath of the attack.

“Commodity markets have barely reacted to Red Sea attacks, and we think the impact on prices will be minimal,” the note read. That being said, it highlighted that the product “most at risk” is jet fuel, owing to the high share of the product transiting the Red Sea.

—Lee Ying Shan

The Reserve Bank of Australia said it will take “some time” for inflation to return to target before the central bank can rule out another interest rate hike, according to minutes of its board meeting earlier in the month.

“Members noted that it would take some time before they could have sufficient confidence that inflation would return to target within a reasonable timeframe,” the minutes said, adding that members also considered considered whether to raise the cash rate target by a further 25 basis points.

The RBA held rates steady in its recent decision.

—Lee Ying Shan

Equity markets have had a good start to the year, with the S&P 500 benching crossing 5,000 in the past month. However, ongoing political tensions and uncertainty over when the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates have raised questions about which sectors will perform strongly — leading a number of market players to say 2024 is a stock picker’s year.

Morningstar’s chief markets strategist, David Sekera, agrees. He said it’s “always a stock picker’s market,” but that this is even more pertinent this year.

He also named three under-the-radar stocks he likes right now.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Amala Balakrishner

Xpeng plans to hire 4,000 new people and invest in artificial intelligence technology, according to the company’s CEO He Xiaopeng.

He also warned of intense competition in the electric vehicle space which could end in a “bloodbath.”

He said in a letter to employees on Sunday that the company will invest a total of 3.5 billion Chinese yuan ($486.2 million) in the research and development of artificial intelligence technology focused on “intelligent driving.”

— Arjun Kharpal

European stocks nudged higher Monday, with the Stoxx 600 index up 0.17% after gaining 1.4% last week.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was up 0.22%, though France’s CAC 40 was flat and Germany’s DAX fell 0.15%.

— Jenni Reid

Futures connected to the S&P 500 and Dow were both little changed shortly after 6 p.m. ET Monday night. Nasdaq 100 futures inched higher by 0.2%.

— Alex Harring