Global shares slip as investors register their worries about U.S. debt

Key Points

• Asian shares tumbled across major markets—including Japan’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi—after Wall Street slid on worries over U.S. debt and rising Treasury yields.
• The U.S. government’s 20-year bond auction fetched a 5.047% yield, pushing the 10-year rate up to 4.59% and amplifying concerns about mounting deficits and higher borrowing costs.
• A weakening U.S. dollar—trading at about ¥143.25—dented Asian currencies and reduced the yen value of exporters’ overseas earnings.
• Investor sentiment was further dampened by uncertainty over President Trump’s tariff policies and a proposed tax-cut bill that could add trillions to the government’s debt.

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares fell Thursday as investors reacted to growing worries over surging U.S. debt.

France's CAC 40 slipped 0.8% to 7,849.87, while Germany's DAX declined 0.7% to 23,962.00. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.7% to 8,728.84.

The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched 0.1% lower while that for the S&P 500 gained nearly 0.2%.

In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.8% to finish at 36,985.87.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.2% to 23,544.31, while the Shanghai Composite edged down 0.2% to 3,380.19.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.5% to 8,348.70. South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.2% to 2,593.67.

Shares skidded Wednesday on Wall Street after the U.S. government released the results for its latest auction of 20-year bonds. Such bonds help to pay government bills and the auction had to offer a yield of more than 5% to attract enough buyers.

The S&P 500 fell 1.6% for a second straight drop after breaking a six-day winning streak. The Dow lost 1.9%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 1.4%.

Rising yields for U.S. Treasury bonds are a canary in the coal mine, Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

“The U.S. still has the biggest markets, the deepest liquidity, and the dollar’s inertia working in its favor. But even inertia can’t outrun compound interest and structural deficits forever,” he wrote.

The declining U.S. dollar also weighed on Asian regional markets, according to some analysts, because some Asian nations have significant holdings in dollars. It also affects Asian exporters, such as Japanese automakers and electronics companies, by reducing the value of their overseas earnings when they are converted into yen.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 143.04 Japanese yen from 143.68 yen. It had been trading at 150 yen levels a year ago. The euro stood unchanged at $1.1330.

Investors remain worried over President Donald Trump's actions, including tariff policies that directly affect Asian companies and decisions on major legislation such as a funding bill now in Congress.

“U.S. equities slumped in a ‘Sell America’ move as things turned ugly on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful tax bill.’ ” said Tan Jing Yi, analyst at Mizuho Bank in Singapore.

U.S. stocks had recently recovered most of their steep losses from earlier in the year after Trump delayed or rolled back many of his stiff tariffs. Investors are hopeful that Trump will lower his tariffs more permanently after reaching trade deals with other countries.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 55 cents to $61.02 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 61 cents to $64.30 a barrel.