Morning Bid: China rate cuts looming, US booming

The trading week in Asia opens against an increasingly bullish global backdrop fueled by continued strength in U.S. stocks, but with local sentiment more circumspect due to the uncertainty surrounding China’s deep-rooted economic problems. The People’s Bank of China is expected to cut its loan prime rates on Monday, Beijing’s latest move in a series of monetary, fiscal and liquidity support measures to shore up the imploding property sector, revive growth and fight off deflation. PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng told a financial forum in Beijing on Friday that the LPR will be reduced by 20 to 25 basis points on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Pan as saying.