asian markets outlook august 31 2011

Indonesia stock info- asian markets outlook august 31 2011 ; Asian stocks were set for a quiet end to a volatile month on Wednesday as expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would do more to stimulate the economy underpinned equities but kept the dollar under pressure.

The U.S. central bank in early August discussed a range of unusual tools it could use to help the economy, with some officials pressing for bolder steps to shore up a flagging recovery, according to minutes of an Aug. 9 meeting released on Tuesday.

Signs of the Fed willing to take aggressive steps helped stocks on Wall Street post modest gains countering the hit from the slump in consumer confidence in the U.S., which hit a two-year low.

The MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan index was trading 0.1 percent lower in early trading with South Korea's KOSPI flat.

In Japan, the Nikkei was down 0.3 percent on profit-taking after four straight gaining sessions.

Asian stocks suffered a severe setback earlier in the month as a sovereign downgrade in the U.S., persistent debt problems in the euro zone and sharp downward revisions in growth expectations roiled markets.

The MSCI index of Asian stocks outside Japan is down 11.1 percent so far this month and set for its worst monthly drop since May last year. The index is up 8.5 percent since the Aug 9 low.

The dollar faced problems of its own as the prospect of further monetary easing in the U.S. would further cement its status as a funding currency in carry trades.

The dollar index which measures the dollar's strength against a trade-weighted basket of currencies is down 6.3 percent this year and is poised to finish flat on the month.

In commodity markets, Brent crude was trading little changed after jumping over 2 percent overnight to a four-week high boosted by concerns about gasoline supplies.

Spot gold fell half a percent on Wednesday, pulling back from a 2.6 percent rally in the previous session.

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