ASIA-Shares to struggle ahead of Bernanke speech

WELLINGTON: Asian stocks are likely to weaken as investors turn cautious ahead of a speech by the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which they hope may give some signals on future measures to stimulate the world's biggest economy.

Investor sentiment has cooled of late amid fading expectations that Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will deliver anything more than a statement of the Fed's readiness to act if a fall back into recession should threaten.

Wall Street's main indexes closed between 1.5 percent and 2 percent lower, snapping three sessions of gains, with sentiment also soured by a fall in German stocks and data showing a still weak U.S. jobs market.

Asian stocks listed on Wall Street fell 1.46 percent, world stocks, as measured by the MSCI world equity index , fell 1.1 percent, and emerging markets stocks were down 0.5 percent.

British shares fell 1.4 percent while European shares dipped 1.25 percent, after talk of a broad-based ban on short selling in Germany. Officials later looked to quash initial fears but not enough to restore the market.

Gold was back in favour, rising 0.5 percent, a day after it posted its biggest one-day fall since December 2008.

Japanese markets may follow Wall St's lead and retreat and position ahead of Bernanke. Nikkei futures traded in Chicago 35 points below the last closing level in Osaka.

Australian stocks may open lower with share price index futures at a 43.8 point premium to the close of the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index. – Reuters