Asian stocks were mixed in early trading Thursday as investors remained cautious amid a spate of worldwide geopolitical concerns, including President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, U.S.-China trade talks, testimony by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, Brexit and conflict between India and Pakistan.
Japan’s Nikkei
slipped 0.3%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng
rose slightly. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite
fell about 0.3% on disappointing factory-activity data, while the smaller-cap Shenzhen Composite
rose about 0.2%. South Korea’s Kospi
fell 0.5%, weighed by falling tech stocks, and benchmarks in Taiwan
and Indonesia
dropped as well.
Read: China’s factory activity drops to lowest level in 3 years
Among individual stocks, robotics maker Fanuc
fell in Tokyo trading, while oil producer Inpex
gained. AIA Group
and HSBC
rose in Hong Kong, while Apple
supplier AAC
continued its losing streak. Samsung
and SK Hynix
slumped in Korea, following a decline in U.S. semiconductor stocks. Mining giant Rio Tinto
and Beach Energy
gained in Australia.
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