Asian markets settled mostly down on Thursday tracking heavy losses in the Wall Street overnight. Meanwhile, investors were cautiously awaiting key US jobs report due Friday that could give clarity on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate trajectory. Japanese shares tumbled on heightened expectations that the Bank of Japan will end its ultra-loose policies in 2024, while rallying yen has also weighed on equities. Chinese shares declined on mixed trade data, with exports unexpectedly ticked higher in November and imports fell slightly from a year ago. Moreover, Hong Kong shares fell after international ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the credit outlook for Hong Kong from stable to negative.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,966.21 | -2.72 | -0.09 |
| Hang Seng | 16,345.89 | -117.37 | -0.72 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,134.62 | 47.22 | 0.66 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,442.85 | -2.97 | -0.21 |
| Nikkei 225 | 32,858.31 | -587.59 | -1.79 |
| Straits Times | 3,074.26 | -12.98 | -0.42 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,492.07 | -3.31 | -0.13 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 17,278.74 | -81.98 | -0.47 |
