Asian markets ended mostly lower on Thursday as renewed global trade tensions as well as emerging market woes kept investors in a defensive mode. A sharp fall in oil prices overnight also weighed on markets. Chinese shares ended lower on fears of additional tariffs as a public comment period on the possibility of fresh US tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods ends today. Further, Japanese shares closed lower, with a firmer yen, an annual reshuffle of the Nikkei index and a powerful earthquake in Hokkaido, the latest in a series of natural disasters to hit the country this year keeping investors nervous.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,691.59 | -12.75 | -0.47 |
Hang Seng | 26,974.82 | -269.03 | -1.00 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,776.10 | 92.60 | 1.60 |
KLSE Composite | 1,798.57 | 3.07 | 0.17 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,487.94 | -92.89 | -0.41 |
Straits Times | 3,147.69 | -8.59 | -0.27 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,287.61 | -4.16 | -0.18 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,924.30 | -70.83 | -0.65 |
