Asia-Pacific stock markets opened lower on Friday, following the sluggish sentiment on Wall Street. In Australia, the ASX/S&P 200 fell 0.17%. In Japan, pressure was stronger: the Nikkei 225 fell 1.36% and the Topix fell 1.12%, as the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds rose to 1.94%, its highest level since July 2007. This increase in yields heightened market concerns about potentially higher borrowing costs. In South Korea, the Kospi moved near the flatline, while the Kosdaq weakened 0.25%. In Hong Kong, Hang Seng futures indicated a slightly lower opening at around 25,900,...
Hong Kong equities eased at the start of trading, with the Hang Seng Index down 102 points, or 0.39%, at 25,833. The China Enterprises Index fell 29 points, or 0.32%, to 9,077, while the Tech Index declined 23 points, or 0.41%, to 5,592. Technology counters were broadly weaker. Tencent retreated 1.1%, Alibaba slipped 0.7%, Meituan lost 0.5%, Xiaomi fell 0.6% and JD.com edged down 0.9%, while Kuaishou was unchanged. Financials were mixed. HSBC dipped 0.2% and AIA fell 0.8%, whereas Ping An gained 0.9%. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing dropped 1%. Source : dimsumdaily.hk
The Nikkei 225 index fell 1.14% to close at 50,446 on Friday (December 5), while the Topix index fell 1.05% to 3,363. This decline erased some of the previous session's gains, as speculation intensified that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could raise interest rates later this month. Reports stated that key members of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government would not oppose a BOJ move in December, although some senior officials remained cautious about the timing. The market has even priced in the possibility of one or two additional rate hikes next year. Negative sentiment also carried over from...