Asian markets closed mostly in red on Monday following disappointing Chinese manufacturing data and a continued slide in commodity prices. Headwinds for the world’s second-biggest economy intensified at the start of the third quarter, with manufacturing conditions in China deteriorating to their worst in two years in July and triggering fresh slides in global commodity prices. Chinese Manufacturing PMI fell to 50.0, from 50.2 in the preceding month. Similar business activity surveys for Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia - all heavily reliant on Chinese demand - reflected varying degrees of weakness that is clouding hopes for a convincing global recovery in the second half of the year. China’s central bank injected 292.9 billion yuan ($47.2 billion) into banks in July to boost lending, in yet another step to bolster growth in China’s cooling economy. South Korea posted a record current account surplus for the first half of this year as slumping oil prices helped offset the impact of shrinking exports. The current account is the broadest measure of foreign trade in goods and services. It showed an unprecedented surplus of $52.4 billion in the six months to June. Indonesian Inflation remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 7.26% compared to the preceding month. Thai CPI rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of -1.05%, from -1.07% in the preceding month.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,622.91 | -40.82 | -1.11 |
Hang Seng | 24,411.42 | -224.86 | -0.91 |
Jakarta Composite | 4,800.18 | -2.34 | -0.05 |
KLSE Composite | 1,744.19 | 21.05 | 1.22 |
Nikkei 225 | 20,548.11 | -37.13 | -0.18 |
Straits Times | 3,192.79 | -9.71 | -0.30 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,008.49 | -21.67 | -1.07 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8,524.41 | -140.93 | -1.63 |