Most of the Asian equity benchmarks traded lower in early deals on Thursday following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight amid surging delta variant of the coronavirus, while rising inflation and curbs on travel in several countries have raised uncertainty about the pace of global economic rebound. Japanese shares declined on news of another impending State of Emergency in Tokyo and other major areas. However, Chinese shares gained even after data showing soft factory activity in June that raised concerns about an economic recovery. Meanwhile, markets in Hong Kong are closed for a holiday.
Nikkei 225 down by 84.49 points or 0.29% to 28,707.04, KOSPI dropped 13.96 points or 0.42% to 3,282.72, Jakarta Composite dipped by 5.45 points or 0.09% to 5,980.04, Straits Times fell 3.79 points or 0.12% to 3,126.67, and Taiwan Weighted slipped by 41.52 points or 0.23% to 17,713.94.
On the flip side, Shanghai Composite higher by 13.22 points or 0.37% to 3,604.42, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI supported by 7.45 points or 0.49% to 1,540.08.
