Asian markets settled lower on Friday ahead of important US jobs data due later in the day for more cues on US monetary policy. Market sentiments declined further by tracking fall in Wall Street shares overnight following Silicon Valley Bank's surprise decision to sell much of its bond portfolio at a $1.8 billion loss that prompted concerns about the value of US banks' bond portfolios. Seoul shares declined after data showed South Korea logged a record high current account deficit in January. Moreover, Japanese shares fell as BoJ kept its controversial yield curve control program unchanged ahead of a leadership transition in April.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,230.08 | -46.01 | -1.42 |
Hang Seng | 19,319.92 | -605.82 | -3.14 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,765.30 | -34.50 | -0.51 |
KLSE Composite | 1,433.08 | -16.45 | -1.13 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,143.97 | -479.18 | -1.70 |
Straits Times | 3,177.43 | -37.08 | -1.17 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,394.59 | -24.50 | -1.02 |
Taiwan Weighted | 15,526.20 | -244.46 | -1.57 |
