All eyes will be on Chinese equities, and for that matter, Hong Kong stocks, after the MSCI delayed the inclusion of “A” shares into its emerging markets index saying it needs to resolve several issues first. Anyway, Chinese shares dropped in the previous session ahead of the much-awaited MSCI announcement. Asian shares, as a whole, are expected to trade flat after Wall Street ended little changed overnight. In what seemed like a wish to escape from all these market dramas, Japan is setting its sight on Mars. Read on..
Japan wants to probe Mars. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to probe the two potato-shaped moons in Mars as early as 2022 so that it could “retrieve samples that could shed light on the history of the Red Planet.” Nikkei Asian Review
Listless session ahead for Asian equities. Wall Street’s flat finish and overall lack of fresh leads may see Asian equities drifting, with the Nikkei seen flat after the Osaka and Chicago futures both hovered within the index close of 20,096 in the previous session. CNBC
Japanese life insurers end 17-year reliance on government bonds. Yield-hungry insurers have shifted their portfolio to domestic stocks and foreign bonds. According to the Life Insurance Association of Japan, the balance of Japanese government bonds that its 142 members were holding fell 0.7% in fiscal year 2014, the first time that it dropped in 17 years. Asian Nikkei Review
Another Chinese firm plans New York exit. Mindray Medical International will become the third Chinese company listed in New York to delist from the city’s stock exchange. The leading medical device and solutions provider received a proposal from three executives to take the company private by offering investors $30 apiece, 9.2% higher from its June 3 closing price. Caixin
McDonald’s gets presidential knowledge. McDonald’s has hired former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as global chief communications officer. Gibbs will lead the corporate relations group with internal and external communications, government and public affairs. ValueWalk
Headless Body in Topless Bar Dead. Vinny Musetto, the man responsible for the now famous New York Post headline “Headless body in topless bar,” has died at age 74. The front page story about a man killing a Queens strip club owner appeared in April 1983. The headline almost didn’t happen: The editors wouldn’t run the story until a reporter ran out to the club to verify that the bar was, indeed, topless. The Guardian
Dennis Hastert pleads not guilty. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has pleaded not guilty to charges that he illegally withdrew money for payoffs to a sex abuse victim, and then lied to the FBI about it. Hastert barely spoke in the Chicago courthouse Tuesday, and his attorney, Thomas Green, entered the plea. NBC News
England loses to France in World Cup game. England lost to France in its opening Women’s World Cup game Tuesday, marking the 16th game in 41 years France has beat England. The Women’s World Cup started on Saturday. Telegraph
Photo credit: Lauri Kolehmainen via Flickr