Shares in the Asia-Pacific mostly fell on Monday amid growing Covid concerns in China as its central bank kept the benchmark lending rates, or loan prime rates, on hold — in line with expectations.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong fell 2.02% in its final hour of trade, leading losses in the wider region. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.39% to 3,085.04 and the Shenzhen Component also fell 0.411% to 11,134.47.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was 0.17% lower at 7,139.30. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.02% to 2,419.50. The MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 1.29%.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan bucked the regional trend and was up 0.16% at 27,944.79 at the close, while the Topix gained 0.28% to 1,972.57.
| TICKER | COMPANY | NAME | PRICE | CHANGE | %CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .N225 | Nikkei 225 Index | *NIKKEI | 28134.06 | 189.27 | 0.68 |
| .HSI | Hang Seng Index | *HSI | 17587.87 | -68.04 | -0.39 |
| .AXJO | S&P/ASX 200 | *ASX 200 | 7188.5 | 49.2 | 0.69 |
| .SSEC | Shanghai | *SHANGHAI | 3108.3 | 23.26 | 0.75 |
| .KS11 | KOSPI Index | *KOSPI | 2410.04 | -9.46 | -0.39 |
| .FTFCNBCA | CNBC 100 ASIA IDX | *CNBC 100 | 7624.15 | 30.74 | 0.4 |
Over the weekend, Malaysia’s election produced a hung parliament, and parties are trying to win support from other blocs to form the government. Later this week, Baidu will report earnings and Singapore will release inflation data.
