CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stocks ended Thursday's session on a muted note as U.S.-China trade worries persisted and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspended parliament till middle October, curtailing any debate or moves on Brexit.
Chinese stocks fell, dragged down by banks and developers as the U.S. Trade Representative's office reaffirmed President Donald Trump's plans to impose an additional 5 percent tariff on $300 billion in Chinese imports starting on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index slipped 2.84 points to 2,890.92 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.34 percent to 25,703.50.
Japanese shares slipped into the red on concerns that trade conflicts and U.K.'s political uncertainty would hurt the global economy. The Nikkei average as well as the broader Topix index gave up early gains to end marginally lower at 20,460.93 and 1,490.17, respectively.
Staffing giant Recruit Holdings lost 4.8 percent after announcing a share sale. Suzuki Motor Corp advanced 1.5 percent while Toyota Motor ended on a flat note after they entered into an agreement regarding a capital alliance.
Australian markets ended largely unchanged amid a lack of major catalysts. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index edged up 6.80 points, or 0.10 percent, to 6,507.40 while the broader All Ordinaries index ended up by 5 points at 6,605.70.
Lithium miner Altura Mining plunged as much as 13 percent, Orocobre tumbled 4.5 percent and Galaxy Resources lost 2.9 percent after China's biggest lithium producer Ganfeng Lithium Co saw its first-half profits plunge 59 percent.
Tech stocks declined, with data centre operator NEXTDC losing 6.7 percent after it swung to an annual loss. Infant formula maker Bellamy's Australia tumbled 5 percent to extend losses from the previous session after reporting disappointing annual results.
Mining services company Ausdrill soared 7.7 percent and investment services provider Link Administration jumped 9.4 percent on solid earnings results.
Supermarket chain Woolworths rose half a percent as it pushes ahead with plans to close 30 unprofitable Big W stores.
Australia's capital expenditure declined unexpectedly in the second quarter as robust growth in machinery and equipment investment was offset by weaker spending on buildings, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a report today.
Seoul stocks ended lower, with an uncertain outlook for U.S.-China trade talks and heightened prospects of a no-deal Brexit weighing on markets. The Kospi average dropped 7.68 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 1,933.41. Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics declined 1.7 percent.
New Zealand shares finished modestly lower, with the benchmark S&P/NZX-50 index ending down 46.10 points, or 0.43 percent, at 10,580.07.
Vista Group International shares slumped as much as 29 percent as the company downgraded expected annual revenue growth from its core Vista Cinema and Movio businesses.
U.S. stocks rose overnight, with earnings and rising oil prices driving some of the bigger moves as ten-year Treasury yields held steady after hitting a three-year low.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4 percent and the S&P 500 added 0.7 percent.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
