Asian markets settled mostly lower on Monday as investors were cautiously awaiting US consumer inflation report as well as a slew of central bank decisions this week for additional clues on the economic and interest rate outlook. Chinese and Hong Kong shares led regional losses with worries that rising Covid-19 cases in China might disrupt consumption and manufacturing. Meanwhile, one of China's top health experts has warned of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the wake of the government's decision to abandon its hard-line coronavirus strategy. Moreover, Seoul shares declined notably tracking weakness in Wall Street shares last Friday following deepening fears about US recession.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,179.04 | -27.91 | -0.87 |
Hang Seng | 19,463.63 | -437.24 | -2.20 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,734.45 | 19.33 | 0.29 |
KLSE Composite | 1,474.38 | -2.81 | -0.19 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,842.33 | -58.68 | -0.21 |
Straits Times | 3,239.66 | -6.31 | -0.19 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,373.02 | -16.02 | -0.67 |
Taiwan Weighted | 14,612.59 | -92.84 | -0.63 |
