International
Persian Gulf Outlook Roils Asian Stock MarKets
Asian stock markets turned in a choppy Tuesday, as traders weighed evolving media reports regarding Persian Gulf hostilities and softer oil prices.Brent oil futures eased lower by 1.7%, to $110.22 a barrel, during Asian market hours.Hong Kong and Shanghai gained ground, while Tokyo finished in the red. Other regional exchanges were choppy.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 traded higher on a strong economic report, but finished off 0.4% as tech issues sagged, following softness in US peer issues.The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 265.36 to 60,550.59, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 156 to 67.Leading the upside was video-game maker Konami, up 9.2%, while electronic-products maker Fujikura fell 17%.In economic news, Japan's Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.5%, or at a 2.1% annual rate, reported the Cabinet Office.In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly and gained in trading, closing up 0.5% as traders weighed Middle East outlooks and supported tech shares.The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 122.67 to 25,797.85, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 45 to 43. The Hang Seng TECH Index rose 0.3% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.5%.Leading the upside was state oil-giant CNOOC, gaining 3%, while Li Auto declined 4.3%.On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.9% to 4,169.54.On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 3.3%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 1.8%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 1.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 1.5%, and the Thai Set declined 0.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.2%.The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index fell 0.6% on the day.
Hang SengNikkei 225Shanghai Composite