Asian markets settled lower on Friday tracking overnight fall in Wall Street amid concerns that the US central bank might hurry to taper its stimulus, while concerns over inflation following surging energy prices also impacted market sentiments. Even if a government shutdown was avoided, the United States still faces a potential default due to an impasse over raising the debt ceiling. Japanese shares tumbled to one-month low on fears over various supply constraints worldwide, which could keep inflation elevated for longer than expected. Seoul shares declined on concerns about power shortages in China that could hurt global economic growth. Meanwhile, Chinese and Hong Kong markets were closed for holidays.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | - | - | - |
Hang Seng | - | - | - |
Jakarta Composite | 6,228.84 | -58.10 | -0.92 |
KLSE Composite | 1,524.48 | -13.32 | -0.87 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,771.07 | -681.59 | -2.31 |
Straits Times | 3,051.11 | -35.59 | -1.15 |
KOSPI Composite | 3,019.18 | -49.64 | -1.62 |
Taiwan Weighted | 16,570.89 | -363.88 | -2.15 |
