Asian stocks closed without a single direction this Friday (1), in the wake of weak indicators from China and Japan and amid uncertainties about the course of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
the japanese index Nikkei fell 0.56% in Tokyo on Friday, at 27,665.98 points, while the South Korean Kospi dropped 0.65% in Seoul, to 2,739.85 points, and the Taiex registered a drop of 0.38% in Taiwan, the 17,625.59 points.
A survey by S&P Global and Caixin Media showed that China’s manufacturing PMI fell to 48.1 in March, hitting the lowest level in about two years and pointing to manufacturing contraction, after China adopted severe restrictions in major cities to deal with a new Covid-19 wave.
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) “Tankan” report revealed that the confidence of large local manufacturers deteriorated for the first time in seven quarters.
In China and Hong Kong, however, concerns over the latest Covid-19 outbreak have eased, making room for markets to recover.
Main Chinese stock index Shanghai Composite rose 0.94% to 3,282.72 points, while less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite rose 0.47% to 2,127.82 points.
The Hang Seng, in turn, rose by a modest 0.19% in Hong Kong, at 22,039.55 points.
The Russian-Ukrainian war is also on the radar. There have been no signs of significant relief from the conflict, despite recent bilateral negotiations in Turkey. According to the Ukrainian side, talks should resume this Friday (1).
Oceania
In Oceania, the Australian stock market was slightly in the red this Friday. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.08% in Sydney to 7,493.80.
*With information from Dow Jones Newswires
Source: CNN Brasil
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