Asian equity markets ended lower on Monday as lower commodity prices weighed on resource stocks and caution crept in ahead of US President Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday night, with investors looking for details on his promises of tax reform, deregulation and infrastructure spending. Chinese shares ended lower after the securities regulator vowed stricter regulations to clamp down on speculation and pledged to speed up approvals of initial public offerings. Further, Japanese shares hit 2-1/2 week lows as the yen's strength hurt exporters and lower US yields sent financials broadly lower. Meanwhile, Taiwan markets were closed for a public holiday.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,228.66 | -24.77 | -0.76 |
Hang Seng | 23,925.05 | -40.65 | -0.17 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,382.87 | -3.03 | -0.06 |
KLSE Composite | 1,693.84 | -4.51 | -0.27 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,107.47 | -176.07 | -0.91 |
Straits Times | 3,108.62 | -8.41 | -0.27 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,085.52 | -8.60 | -0.41 |
Taiwan Weighted | - | - | - |