Asian markets settled lower on Friday on fears about the global economic outlook following identification of a new and possibly vaccine-resistant corona-virus variant in South Africa, and has also been detected in Hong Kong. World Health Organization (WHO) officials said they are monitoring a new variant with a large number of mutations. A special meeting is scheduled today to discuss its implications for vaccines and treatments. Japanese shares hit one-month low as the safe-haven yen rallied against the US dollar. Further, Chinese shares declined as a handful of corona-virus cases in eastern parts of China prompted Shanghai to limit tourism activities and a nearby city to cut public transportation services.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,564.09 | -20.09 | -0.56 |
Hang Seng | 24,080.52 | -659.64 | -2.67 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,561.55 | -137.80 | -2.06 |
KLSE Composite | 1,512.22 | -5.38 | -0.35 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,751.62 | -747.66 | -2.53 |
Straits Times | 3,166.27 | -55.25 | -1.72 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,936.44 | -43.83 | -1.47 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,369.39 | -284.80 | -1.61 |
