Asian stock markets traded mixed on Thursday morning, with gains in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, while mainland Chinese indices and some regional markets remained under pressure as of 8 AM IST.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 moved higher by 0.29% to 63,455.22, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.71% to 26,576.62. South Korea’s KOSPI also advanced 0.79% to 7,906.18.
Taiwan equities saw strong buying interest, with the Taiwan index rising 1.03% to 41,801.40, marking one of the biggest gains among major Asian markets in early trade.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.14% to 8,618.10, while New Zealand’s NZX 50 declined 0.32% to 13,021.59. Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.21% to 4,993.70.
Mainland Chinese markets traded lower in early hours. The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.60% to 4,216.975, while the Shenzhen index declined 0.98% to 15,932.817. The SGX-CNBC China Growth Index was also marginally lower by 0.07%.
Malaysia’s benchmark index edged down 0.02% to 1,745.91.
Among the major Asian markets tracked at 8 AM IST, Taiwan posted the strongest gain, while Shenzhen recorded the steepest decline.