Asian bourses remain lackadaisical on Japan trade deficit, Spain auction

19 Apr 2012 Evaluate

Stock markets across Asian region are exhibiting subdued trends in Thursday’s session as market participants lacked conviction to open fresh bets amid unaccommodating tidings from the global front. Most markets in the region traded on a pessimistic note as sentiments got undermined by overnight decline in US markets on the back of disappointing quarterly earnings number from tech majors like IBM and Intel. The bourses were also pressured by renewed worries over the Europe’s onerous debt crisis as jittery investors awaited results of French and Spanish debt. Spain's non-performing loans as a proportion of total lending jumped to 8.16 percent in February, the highest level since 1994.

The benchmark in Japan led the losers in Asian space with over half a percent cut despite official reports showed that world’s third largest economy logged its biggest annual trade deficit ever, a contrast from decades of surpluses, as a nuclear crisis boosted expensive oil and gas imports. On the other hand, Hong Kong shares traded in green with moderate gains amid reports that China will continue to deliver policy easing steps to ensure a soft landing for the world's second biggest economy.

Shanghai Composite eased 4.12 points or 0.17% to 2,376.73, Jakarta Composite slipped 5.72 points or 0.14% to 4,160.52, KLSE Composite fell 0.51 points or 0.03% to 1,598.35, Nikkei 225 dropped 54.82 points or 0.57% to 9,612.44 and Seoul Composite shed 4.00 points or 0.20% to 2,000.53.

On the flipside, Hang Seng gained 64.95 points or 0.31% to 20,845.68, Straits Times Index rose 1.67 points or 0.06% to 3,002.25 and Taiwan Weighted added 19.90 points or 0.26% to 7,624.90.

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