Voice of America
28 May 2020, 14:35 GMT+10
Asian markets are once again mixed Thursday as worries over the political turmoil in Hong Kong continue to overshadow hopes of a post-pandemic recovery.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down 1.3 percent in late afternoon trading, while Shanghai's index was 0.2 percent lower. The KOSPI index in Seoul was also down 0.2 percent, and Taiwan's TSEC was 0.6 percent lower.
Meanwhile, the indexes in Tokyo and Sydney closed 2.1 percent and 1.3 percent higher, respectively.
Oil markets are also taking a hit Thursday, with U.S. crude trading at $31.81 per barrel, a 3 percent drop, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, is $34.07 per barrel, a decline of 1.9 percent.
China's recent moves to tighten control over the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong have raised diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Washington and subsequently rattled investors. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday that the Trump administration no longer considers the global financial hub as autonomous from China, indicating the U.S. is considering suspending the preferential status that has made the city a top U.S. trading partner.
In futures trading, the Dow Jones is up 0.8 percent, the S&P 500 is 0.4 percent higher, and the Nasdaq is up 6 points but is essentially unchanged in terms of percentage.
Get a daily dose of Asia Pacific Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Asia Pacific Star.
More InformationBEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
Nearly three months after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, the country remains trapped in a deepening crisis, compounded by...
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): A new trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam is raising concerns and offering key lessons...
Washington, DC [US], July 2 (ANI): US President Donald Trump was yet again at his rhetoric against the Democratic mayoral nominee for...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan, long associated with war and instability, is quietly trying to rebrand itself as a destination for...
SANTA CLARA, California: Executives at Nvidia have quietly been cashing in on the AI frenzy. According to a report by the Financial...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...