Asian markets settle mostly lower on Friday
Chinese shares fell ahead of the People’s Bank of China's (PBOC) loan prime rate decision due Monday
Asian markets settled mostly lower on Friday as investors awaited further details of a potential peace deal between Iran and the United States ahead of the expiry of a two-week truce next week. Chinese shares fell ahead of the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) loan prime rate decision due on Monday. Japanese shares declined on profit-taking after the Nikkei hit a near-record high, while Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda provided no clear signal on a near-term interest rate hike ahead of the central bank’s policy decision this month. However, Indonesian shares rose tracking Wall Street’s gains overnight and after Indonesia’s Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa’s remarks that US investors currently favour portfolio flows, such as bonds and equities, over long-term Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Indonesia.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 4,051.43 | -4.12 | -0.10 |
| Hang Seng | 26,160.33 | -233.93 | -0.89 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,634.00 | 12.62 | 0.17 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,695.21 | 5.50 | 0.33 |
| Nikkei 225 | 58,475.90 | -1,042.44 | -1.75 |
| Straits Times | 4,997.93 | -9.90 | -0.20 |
| KOSPI Composite | 6,191.92 | -34.13 | -0.55 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 36,804.34 | -327.68 | -0.88 |
