Asian markets closed mostly in red on Thursday due to lingering concerns over trade war after the White House said the Donald Trump administration wanted China to reduce its trade surplus with the US by $100 billion. The overnight negative close on Wall Street and lack of positive news from the Asian region too contributed to the mostly weak and sluggish trend in most of the markets in Asia. Japanese shares eked out small gains with traders noting the Bank of Japan bought up exchange traded funds, offsetting weakness in machinery makers. Japan’s construction machinery and machine tool makers underperformed, hit by worries that global trade tensions could hurt demand after U.S. President Donald Trump sought to impose fresh tariffs on China. Meanwhile, China stocks ended flat, with gains led by consumer and healthcare firms, while small-caps, particularly newly-listed shares, were dumped after regulators warned of risks and bubbles.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,291.11 | -0.27 | -0.01 |
Hang Seng | 31,541.10 | 106.09 | 0.34 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,321.90 | -60.72 | -0.95 |
KLSE Composite | 1,845.27 | -11.79 | -0.63 |
Nikkei 225 | 21,803.95 | 26.66 | 0.12 |
Straits Times | 3,517.73 | -21.68 | -0.61 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,492.38 | 6.30 | 0.25 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,018.45 | -20.35 | -0.18 |
