The Asian markets ended mostly lower on Thursday amid skepticism over OPEC's proposed deal to curb oil production. The yen recovered some ground against majors and a report showed profits earned by China's industrial firms slowed in September, keeping investors nervous. Traders also looked ahead to a slew of US data including Friday's crucial third-quarter GDP report for fresh clues about the timing of the next interest rate rise. Chinese shares ended lower, with a weaker yuan, liquidity concerns and slowing industrial profit growth, weighing on markets. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China's industrial profits grew only 7.7 percent year-on-year in September after expanding 19.5 percent in August. The increase in August was the fastest in three years. Japanese shares ended lower as Canon, a key exporter, revised down its full-year earnings forecast and the dollar weakened against the yen in late trading.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,112.35 | -3.96 | -0.13 |
Hang Seng | 23,132.35 | -193.08 | -0.83 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,416.84 | 17.16 | 0.32 |
KLSE Composite | 1,669.03 | -4.89 | -0.29 |
Nikkei 225 | 17,336.42 | -55.42 | -0.32 |
Straits Times | 2,828.94 | 0.37 | 0.01 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,024.12 | 10.23 | 0.51 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,299.55 | -62.70 | -0.67 |