Asian equity markets ended in red on Monday amid rising doubts over US President Donald Trump's ability to pass legislative reforms after Republican leaders pulled a bill to overhaul the US health care system. Japanese shares ended lower, wallowing at a six-week low and deepening last week's 1.3 percent loss, on pressure from a resurgent yen. Further, Chinese shares fell despite solid data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing that China's industrial profits grew sharply in the first two months of the year, driven by faster rise in prices of coal, steel and crude oil. Industrial profits surged an annual 31.5 percent in the January to February period, accelerating from a 2.3 percent gain in December.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,266.96 | -2.49 | -0.08 |
Hang Seng | 24,193.70 | -164.57 | -0.68 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,541.20 | -25.93 | -0.47 |
KLSE Composite | 1,744.95 | -0.80 | -0.05 |
Nikkei 225 | 18,985.59 | -276.94 | -1.44 |
Straits Times | 3,126.88 | -16.02 | -0.51 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,155.66 | -13.29 | -0.61 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,876.77 | -26.21 | -0.26 |