Asian equity markets ended mixed on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump's comments that he may end the North American Free-Trade Agreement which raised concerns over its impact on global trade. Also, Trump threatened to shut down the government if he fails to generate funds to build his controversial wall along the Mexican border. Geopolitical risks also remained in focus after the United States announced new sanctions on Chinese and Russian entities for their alleged ties to North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Chinese shares ended on a flat note as steelmakers succumbed to profit taking, offsetting gains in the banking sector on optimism over earnings. Meanwhile, Japanese shares eked out modest gains to snap a five-day losing streak as the yen weakened and a survey showed activity in Japan's manufacturing sector continued to expand in August and at a faster pace. Trading in Hong Kong was suspended due to tropical cyclone Hato.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,287.71 | -2.52 | -0.08 |
Hang Seng | - | - | - |
Jakarta Composite | 5,914.02 | 33.73 | 0.57 |
KLSE Composite | 1,772.94 | -1.28 | -0.07 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,434.64 | 50.80 | 0.26 |
Straits Times | 3,260.05 | -3.74 | -0.11 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,366.40 | 1.07 | 0.05 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,406.81 | 14.74 | 0.14 |