Asian shares rose on Monday, supported by hopes US politicians can overcome an imminent fiscal crunch while the yen fell to a near seven-month low against the dollar on expectations a new government chosen in next month's election could pump large amounts of stimulus cash into the economy.
The prospect of a "fiscal cliff", a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that take effect early next year, could shave as much as USD 807 billion or 5 percent off US economic growth, yet financial markets do not appear to be bracing for such a big risk event, fund manager BlackRock said in a report on Friday.
Uncertainty about US fiscal policy, Europe's sovereign crisis and slower global growth have turned the US economy into what feels like a slow-moving zombie.
Alastair Newton of Nomura International believes that there is a likly hood for a lot of the current AAA nations getting downgraded.