Asian markets settled mostly lower on Monday, tracking Wall Street’s fall last Friday and as investors awaited a crucial week packed with high-profile corporate tech earnings and monetary policy decisions from major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, and the European Central Bank. Besides, renewed tensions in the Middle East weighed on market sentiment. South Korea’s Kospi fell sharply after private brokerages slashed 12-month target for the benchmark index from 12,000 to 9,000 (a 25% reduction), citing more conservative valuation assumptions as the AI-driven tech rally cools.
However, Chinese shares gained, recovering from an earlier dip driven by anxieties surrounding weakening domestic consumption and growth. Investors also shifted their focus on the Fifth Plenum, running from Monday through Thursday, during which President Xi Jinping opened the meeting and called for firm governance measures. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese stock market was closed in observance of Taiwan Restoration Day.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,697.52 | 7.05 | 0.19 |
Hang Seng | 23,211.81 | 118.44 | 0.51 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,373.09 | -66.17 | -1.23 |
KLSE Composite | 1,604.36 | -7.20 | -0.45 |
Nikkei 225 | 62,189.65 | -503.51 | -0.80 |
Straits Times | 5,415.91 | -6.25 | -0.12 |
KOSPI Composite | 5,469.47 | -80.83 | -1.46 |
Taiwan Weighted | -- | -- | -- |