Asian markets ended mostly lower on Friday as another round of US tariffs on China loomed and investors looked ahead to the US Labor Department's August jobs report for clues to central bank rate hikes. US employment is likely to increase by about 191,000 jobs in August after an increase of 157,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate is expected to dip to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent. Chinese shares closed modestly higher in cautious trade, as a deadline for public comments on fresh US tariffs expired. Further, Japanese shares closed lower and the yen strengthened against the dollar as investors awaited the US tariff decision and the outcome of US-Canada talks. Sentiment was also dented after US President Trump reportedly told a columnist for The Wall Street Journal that he was ‘still bothered by the terms of US trade with Japan’.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,702.30 | 10.71 | 0.40 |
Hang Seng | 26,973.47 | -1.35 | -0.01 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,851.46 | 75.36 | 1.29 |
KLSE Composite | 1,799.17 | 0.60 | 0.03 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,307.06 | -180.88 | -0.81 |
Straits Times | 3,132.24 | -15.45 | -0.49 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,281.58 | -6.03 | -0.26 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,846.99 | -77.31 | -0.71 |
