Asian markets trade lower in early deals on Tuesday

Most of the Asian equity indices are trading lower in the early deals on Tuesday on the account of a weak lead from Wall Street and geopolitical concerns amid reports about fresh US airstrikes on the Islamic State in Syria weighed on sentiment. On the regional front, the Chinese Shanghai Composite rose after a manufacturing gauge topped estimates and investors speculated the government will take steps to boost the housing market. The report from Markit Economics that showed China's manufacturing sector to have expanded at an accelerated pace in September. According to the report, the preliminary PMI reading from HSBC and Markit Economics came in with a score of 50.5 in September, up from 50.2 in the preceding month. Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea are notably lower. Taiwan is down marginally, while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore are up with modest gains.

KOSPI Index slipped by 11.44 points or 0.56% to 2,027.83, Jakarta Composite contracted by 30.27 points or 0.58% to 5,189.53, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI declined 5.18 points or 0.28% to 1,840.87 and Taiwan Weighted was down by 25.52 points or 0.28% to 9,109.13.

On the flip side, Hang Seng increased 4.94 points or 0.02% to 23,960.43, Straits Times surged by 8.38 points or 0.25% to 3,304.95 and Shanghai Composite was up by 15.02 points or 0.66% to 2,304.89.

The Japanese market remained shut for the trade today in observance of Autumn Equinox Day.