HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly lower Friday morning, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei losing over 2% in early trading after a sharp decline on Wall Street driven by high expectations.
United States futures and oil prices were higher.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 sank 2.3% in morning trading to 38,196.53. On Thursday, the Bank of Japan announced to keep its benchmark rate unchanged at 0.25%, which was in line with market expectations. The Japanese yen traded lower Friday. The dollar rose to 152.35 Japanese yen from 152.00 yen.
China markets were the exception from Friday’s downturn vibe. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.0% to 20,526.69 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.4% at 3,294.55.
Factory activity in China went back into growth in October, with the official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index released Thursday reaching 50.1, ending five straight months of contraction. Another private survey Friday also showed a reading of 50.3, above the expansion line of 50.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.8% to 8,093.80 after its producer price index in the third quarter rose 3.9% year-on-year, a return to below 4.0% annual growth for the first time since September 2023, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi remained virtually unchanged at 2,556.57. Taiwan’s Taiex lost 0.8%, weighed down by a 1% decline in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., Apple’s chip supplier, following Apple’s quarterly earnings report Thursday, which revealed a drop in sales revenue from China.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 sank 1.9% to 5,705.45 for its worst day in eight weeks, and fell further from its record set earlier in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.9% to 41,736.46, while the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.8% to 18,095.15 for a second-straight loss after setting its latest all-time high.
Microsoft reported bigger profit growth for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its revenue also topped forecasts, but its stock nevertheless sank 6% as investors and analysts scoured for possible disappointments.
Meanwhile, the parent company of Facebook likewise served up a better-than-expected profit report. As with Microsoft, that wasn’t enough to boost its stock. Investors focused instead on Meta Platforms’ warning that it expects a “significant acceleration” in spending next year as it continues to pour money into developing artificial intelligence. It fell 4.1%.
The tumble for Big Tech on the last day of October wiped out the S&P 500’s gain for the month. The index fell 1% for its first down month in the past six, even though it set an all-time high during that period.