Asian markets mostly lower on economic woes
Major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly lower in the afternoon trade on Monday, with economic uncertainty driving the negative sentiment. The release of robust jobs data in the United States indicated that the labor market is showing resilience to the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, potentially signalling that there may be room for further monetary tightening. Geopolitical concerns following China's suspected spy balloon being shot down by the United States contributed to the market's negative trajectory.
The Shenzhen Composite fell by 0.83% at 7:04 am CET. The Shanghai Composite was down by 0.91% at 7:15 am CET. South Korean Kospi slumped by 1.31% a minute later, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged by 2.25% or 487 points.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose by 0.67%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down by 0.25% at the closing bell. The dollar gained 0.48% against the Japanese yen, going for ¥131.76200 at 7:17 am CET.