Asian markets settled lower on Friday ahead of key US employment report for November due later in the day, while weak US manufacturing data released overnight also dented market sentiment. Investors were also worrying about the failure of China's zero-covid policy and its impact on the global economy. Japanese shares tumbled as the yen strengthened following Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments signaling smaller interest rate hikes could come as soon as the next meeting in December.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,156.14 | -9.33 | -0.29 |
Hang Seng | 18,675.35 | -61.09 | -0.33 |
Jakarta Composite | 7,019.64 | -1.16 | -0.02 |
KLSE Composite | 1,481.80 | -9.71 | -0.65 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,777.90 | -448.18 | -1.59 |
Straits Times | 3,259.14 | -33.59 | -1.02 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,434.33 | -45.51 | -1.84 |
Taiwan Weighted | 14,970.68 | -42.12 | -0.28 |
