Asian stocks follow Wall St lower amid growth concerns

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street down after U.S. inflation was lower than expected amid unease about the impact of the spread of the coronavirus’s delta variant. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney retreated, giving up the previous day’s gains. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell despite data showing consumer prices rose at their slowest rate in seven months in August. Investor optimism about the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and central bank support for global economies is competing with anxiety about the impact of the delta variant and anti-disease measures on consumers and businesses.