BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Asian stocks ended Monday's session mostly lower as investors awaited earnings from chip giant Nvidia along with the release of key U.S. inflation data and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech for direction.
Traders also awaited details of what Washington has billed as its toughest-ever sanctions campaign against Iran and its trading partners.
Gold prices were up 0.9 percent at 4,644 an ounce in Asian trade, hitting their highest level in more than three months as a subdued dollar lent support.
Brent crude futures fell nearly 2 percent to trade below $93 a barrel after rising over 5 percent to post their second consecutive weekly gain last week amid the impasse in talks for deal to end the U.S.-Iran war.
China's Shanghai Composite index ended down 0.59 percent at 3,882.01. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.89 percent to 25,517.33.
Alibaba Group Holding nosedived 8.5 percent after the Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing firm raised HK$80 billion ($10.2 billion) in Hong Kong's biggest secondary share sale to fund its AI push.
Japanese markets fell notably as AI stocks slipped on concerns over rising costs. Bloomberg News reported over the weekend that Nvidia is moving to raise prices across its AI server ecosystem amid a surge in memory chip prices.
Expectations of a Bank of Japan rate at its September policy meeting also kept investors on edge. The Nikkei average dipped 0.74 percent to 65,528.09, while the broader Topix index settled 0.15 percent higher at 4,073.29.
SoftBank Group shares slumped 5.3 percent after the technology investor filed for the issuance of 1 trillion yen of unsecured straight corporate bond, with final details of the bond issuance expected to be announced on September 4.
Seoul stocks tumbled due to disappointment over Samsung Electronics' shareholder return plan. The Kospi index slumped 3.12 percent to 6,696.96.
Shares of Samsung Electronics plunged 8.70 after the company announced a record $79 billion shareholder return plan but failed to provide details on a possible stock buyback. Industry rival SK Hynix gave up 3.4 percent.
Australian markets ended higher to reverse losses from the previous session. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.49 percent to 9,103.10 as firmer iron ore prices boosted mining stocks.
BHP Billiton surged 3 percent and Rio Tinto added 1.2 percent. The broader All Ordinaries index closed 0.51 percent higher at 9,316.70.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX-50 index dropped 0.65 percent to 13,881.88 after data showed retail sales volumes in the country fell 0.5 percent quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter of 2026. The kiwi dollar eased as markets priced in potential RBNZ rate cuts.
U.S. stocks rose on Friday but ended the week lower amid jitters over fluctuating government bond yields and renewed Middle East tensions, with the Trump administration announcing the most crushing economic operation against Iran and its trading partners.
The Dow rallied 1 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 both gained 0.4 percent after data showed U.S. business activity grew at its fastest pace in more than four years in August, driven by stronger demand in the service sector.
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