Asian stocks closed mostly lower on Friday (30), the last day of the third quarter, after another round of losses on Wall Street and mixed data from Chinese manufacturing.
Japan’s Nikkei stock index fell 1.83% in Tokyo to 25,937.21 points, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.71% in Seoul, to 2,155.49 points, and Taiex dropped 0.81% in Taiwan, at 13,424.58 points.
In mainland China, trading was also negative: the Shanghai Composite lost 0.55% to 3,024.39 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite was down 1.30% to 1,912.00 points.
The exception was the Hang Seng, which rose 0.33% in Hong Kong, at 17,222.83 points.
Moods in Asia prevailed after New York stocks fell sharply again on Thursday, amid lingering fears that the Federal Reserve (Fed, the US central bank) remains aggressive in raising interest rates, of inflationary pressures and signs of improvement in the labor market.
China’s latest industrial PMIs paint an inconclusive picture of manufacturing in the world’s second-largest economy. The official PMI rose to 50.1 in September, beating expectations and indicating that the manufacturing sector has resumed expansion.
On the other hand, the PMI measured by S&P Global/Caixin Media has dropped to 48.1 this month, suggesting deeper contraction.
In Oceania, the Australian stock exchange was in the red, with investors expecting a probable new rate hike by the RBA – as the local central bank is known – next week. The S&P/ASX 200 is down 1.23% in Sydney at 6,474.20 points.
Source: CNN Brasil
Joe Jameson, a technology journalist with over 2 years of experience, writes for top online news websites. Specializing in the field of technology, Joe provides insights into the latest advancements in the industry. Currently, he contributes to covering the world stock market.
