Asian markets settled mostly lower on Friday tracking weakness in the Wall Street overnight amid concerns around rising US bond yields and tighter monetary policy. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting US central bank's policy meeting scheduled for next week with heightened expectations of rate hikes to rein in inflation also weighed on market sentiments. Soaring tensions over Ukraine also adding pressure on market sentiments. Japanese shares closed lower with technology heavyweights tracking Nasdaq's fall overnight, while traders awaited cues from the earnings season that kicks off next week. While, mixed inflation data and the downbeat signals from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) monetary policy meeting minutes also influenced Japanese market sentiment. Chinese shares declined, dragged down by weakness in technology and healthcare stocks.
Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,522.57 | -32.49 | -0.91 |
Hang Seng | 24,965.55 | 13.20 | 0.05 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,726.37 | 99.50 | 1.50 |
KLSE Composite | 1,527.06 | -0.69 | -0.05 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,522.26 | -250.67 | -0.90 |
Straits Times | 3,294.86 | 0.04 | -- |
KOSPI Composite | 2,834.29 | -28.39 | -0.99 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,899.30 | -318.98 | -1.75 |
