Asian markets settled mostly lower on Thursday tracking overnight losses in Wall Street after the US Federal Reserve signalled interest rates hikes as early as March and end its bond purchases that month to counter escalating inflation. Escalating Russia-Ukraine political tensions also dampened investors' sentiments. Chinese shares hit their lowest levels in nearly 16 months because the Fed's hawkish stance sparked heavy selling by foreign investors. Further, Seoul shares declined after Central bank data showed that sentiment among South Korean businesses over the economic situation worsened in January, due to higher logistics cost and weaker demand in the construction and electronic sectors.
Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,394.25 | -61.42 | -1.78 |
Hang Seng | 23,807.00 | -482.90 | -1.99 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,611.16 | 10.34 | 0.16 |
KLSE Composite | 1,515.99 | 0.23 | 0.02 |
Nikkei 225 | 26,170.30 | -841.03 | -3.11 |
Straits Times | 3,260.03 | -11.54 | -0.35 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,614.49 | -94.75 | -3.50 |
Taiwan Weighted | -- | -- | -- |
