Asian equity markets ended mostly in red on Monday, with a crackdown on stock purchases by insurance firms sending Chinese and Hong Kong shares tumbling. China's insurance regulator suspended Evergrande Life from further investing in stocks, saying its asset allocation plan is not clear and capital operation is not standardized. Meanwhile, Japanese shares closed at a fresh high for the year as the yen continued to weaken against the dollar ahead of an expected rate hike by the Federal Reserve this week. Higher oil prices and upbeat core machinery orders data also boosted investor sentiment. Japan's October core machinery orders rose for the first time in three months to beat expectations. Markets in Malaysia and Indonesia were closed in observance of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,152.97 | -79.91 | -2.47 |
Hang Seng | 22,433.02 | -327.96 | -1.44 |
Jakarta Composite | - | - | - |
KLSE Composite | - | - | - |
Nikkei 225 | 19,155.03 | 158.66 | 0.84 |
Straits Times | 2,952.19 | -3.94 | -0.13 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,027.24 | 2.55 | 0.13 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,349.94 | -42.74 | -0.46 |