Asian markets ended mostly lower on Friday as worries about rising tensions in the Middle East and headlines related to US-China trade disputes kept underlying sentiment cautious. The US blamed Iran for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman and said it will defend its forces and interests in the Middle East. Chinese shares ended down as investors kept a cautious stance ahead of data that was released after market hours, while US tariff threats continued to weigh. Government data released late in the day showed that China's industrial output grew at a slower pace, while growth in retail sales improved more-than-expected in May. Industrial production advanced 5 percent year-on-year in May, while growth was expected to remain stable at 5.4 percent. Retail sales grew at a faster pace of 8.6 percent after rising 7.2 percent in the previous month. Sales were forecast to advance 8.1 percent. China's fixed-asset investment grew 5.6 percent year on year in the first five months, down 0.5 percentage points from the first four months. The unemployment rate remained stable at 5 percent in May. Though, Japanese shares ended higher, led by energy stocks as oil prices surged on supply concerns.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,881.97 | -28.77 | -0.99 |
Hang Seng | 27,118.35 | -176.36 | -0.65 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,250.26 | -22.82 | -0.36 |
KLSE Composite | 1,638.63 | -5.11 | -0.31 |
Nikkei 225 | 21,116.89 | 84.89 | 0.40 |
Straits Times | 3,222.63 | 1.97 | 0.06 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,095.41 | -7.74 | -0.37 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,524.67 | -36.34 | -0.34 |
