Asian markets settled mostly lower on Thursday with caution ahead to upcoming inflation readings in Europe and the United States for additional clues on the US Fed's future monetary tightening plans. Chinese shares declined after China’s official data showed manufacturing activity in the country shrank for a fifth straight month in August and non-manufacturing growth also slowed. Seoul shares dropped after data showed South Korea’s factory output declined again in July to reach its longest stretch of declines in decades. However, Japanese shares improved by tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,119.88 | -17.26 | -0.55 |
| Hang Seng | 18,382.06 | -100.80 | -0.55 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,953.26 | -13.40 | -0.19 |
| KLSE Composite | -- | -- | -- |
| Nikkei 225 | 32,619.34 | 285.88 | 0.88 |
| Straits Times | 3,233.30 | 13.08 | 0.40 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,556.27 | -4.95 | -0.19 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 16,634.51 | -85.31 | -0.51 |
