Asian stock markets traded mixed on Wednesday, with several major indices remaining under pressure during midday trade. Weakness in Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand equities weighed on regional sentiment, while Thailand and SGX-CNBC China Growth index posted modest gains.
As of 1:43 PM IST, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI) was down 165.21 points, or 0.64%, at 25,632.64. India’s Nifty 50 also traded lower, slipping 37.7 points, or 0.16%, to 23,580.3.
Japan’s Nikkei index emerged among the worst-performing Asian benchmarks during the session, falling 746.18 points, or 1.23%, to 59,804.41. Australia’s ASX 200 declined 108.1 points, or 1.26%, to 8,496.6, while New Zealand’s NZX 50 dropped 213.29 points, or 1.64%, to 12,761.03.
South Korea’s Kospi index traded lower by 62.71 points, or 0.86%, at 7,208.95. Singapore’s STI index also remained under pressure, declining 25.03 points, or 0.49%, to 5,047.31.
In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 7.353 points, or 0.18%, to 4,162.185. Shenzhen index remained largely flat at 15,569.979. Taiwan’s benchmark index fell 154.74 points, or 0.39%, to 40,020.82.
Among Southeast Asian markets, Malaysia’s benchmark index declined 7.48 points, or 0.43%, to 1,719.79. Thailand’s SET Index outperformed regional peers, gaining 7.31 points, or 0.48%, to trade at 1,524.
Meanwhile, the SGX-CNBC China Growth Index edged higher by 1.572 points, or 0.09%, to 1,712.307.
Overall, Asian markets showed a cautious trend during the session, with losses across several key benchmarks outweighing gains in select regional indices.