Asian markets ended mostly lower on Thursday due to fears about further escalation of the Sino-US tensions following US Secretary Mike Pompeo’s announcement of fresh restrictions on Chinese diplomats in United States. The United States said it would now require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting US university campuses or meeting local officials. Chinese shares ended lower despite positive data showing China's service sector activity continued to expand in August, albeit at a slightly slower pace, the latest survey from Caixin showed with a services PMI score of 54.0, down from 54.1 in July. Though Japanese shares ended higher, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced his candidacy for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election and formally entering the contest to succeed Shinzo Abe as the country's next prime minister. The Japanese yen slipped and investors shrugged off data showing that the services sector in Japan contracted at a slightly faster pace in August.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,384.98 | -19.82 | -0.58 |
Hang Seng | 25,007.60 | -112.49 | -0.45 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,280.81 | -31.16 | -0.59 |
KLSE Composite | 1,515.40 | -22.14 | -1.44 |
Nikkei 225 | 23,465.53 | 218.38 | 0.94 |
Straits Times | 2,531.79 | -8.15 | -0.32 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,395.90 | 31.53 | 1.33 |
Taiwan Weighted | 12,757.97 | 58.47 | 0.46 |
