Asian markets closed the shutter on a weak note on Thursday after hawkish comments by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and weakness in China's factory activity. Japan’s Nikkei plummeted and went home with red mark after a spike in government bond yields. China's shares ended lower as HSBC's preliminary manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to 49.6 in May--a seven-month low--compared with the final reading of 50.4 in April. Hong Kong stocks ended in negative territory amid losses in banks and property stocks.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,275.67 | -26.74 | -1.16 |
Hang Seng | 22,669.68 | -591.40 | -2.54 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,121.40 | -86.60 | -1.66 |
KLSE Composite | 1,773.06 | -10.82 | -0.61 |
Nikkei 225 | 14,483.98 | -1,143.28 | -7.32 |
Straits Times | 3,393.17 | -61.20 | -1.77 |
KOSPI Composite | 1,969.19 | -24.64 | -1.24 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8,237.83 | -161.01 | -1.92 |
