Shares retreated in Asia on Wednesday after Japan reported its worst monthly decline in exports in three years, putting pressure on the economy as growth slows following a sales tax hike.
Asian Markets
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 index NIK, -0.62% declined 0.8% after customs data showed the country’s exports falling 9.2% in October.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng HSI, -0.75% dropped 0.6%.
- The Shanghai Composite index SHCOMP, -0.78% declined 0.4%.
- Australia’s S&P ASX 200 XJO, -1.35% fell 1.2% as energy and financial companies declined.
- The S&P 500 index SPX, -0.06% slipped less than 0.1% to 3,120.18 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.36% declined 0.4% to 27,934.02.
- The Nasdaq COMP, +0.24% climbed 0.2% to 8,570.66.
Currency Markets
- The dollar USDJPY, -0.10% fell to 108.51 Japanese yen from 108.54 yen on Tuesday.
Commodities
- Benchmark crude oil CLZ19, -0.14% picked up 11 cents to $55.46 per barrel in electronic trading.
- Brent crude oil BRNF20, -0.18% , the international standard, was flat at $60.91 per barrel after dropping $1.53 overnight.
Investing.com