Asian equity markets ended in red on Monday, as investors digested lackluster US GDP data and the US immigration ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries. The immigration curbs introduced by US President Donald Trump heightened concerns about the impact of the new administration's policies on trade and the economy. Data on Friday showed that the US economy grew less-than-expected during the final quarter of the year as the annualized quarter-on-quarter rate was 1.9% versus the 2.2% estimate and 3.5% the previous quarter. Caution ahead of monetary policy decisions in the US, UK and Japan as well as Chinese manufacturing data and US jobs data due this week also kept investors nervous. Japanese shares ended lower as a firmer yen clouded the outlook for exporters. Reports showed Japanese retail sales grew 0.6 percent in December from a year earlier, gaining for a second straight month but falling below forecasts for a 1.7 percent gain. Markets in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan were shut on Monday for the Lunar New Year holidays.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | - | - | - |
Hang Seng | - | - | - |
Jakarta Composite | 5,302.66 | -10.18 | -0.19 |
KLSE Composite | - | - | - |
Nikkei 225 | 19,368.85 | -98.55 | -0.51 |
Straits Times | - | - | - |
KOSPI Composite | - | - | - |
Taiwan Weighted | - | - | - |