Asian Markets Mixed as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues to Cast a
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:50 am
A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2020.
Asian markets were in mixed territory Wednesday as investors continued to be on edge over the rising rates of COVID-19 cases around the world.
Tokyo’s Nikkei index closed out the day’s trading session 0.7 percent lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 0.4 percent in late afternoon trading, and Shanghai’s Composite index was up 2.1 percent.
The S&P/ASX index in Sydney was trading 1.5 percent lower. The KOSPI index in Seoul was down 0.2 percent, while Taiwan’s TSEC index was up 0.6 percent. The Sensex in Mumbai was 0.1 percent lower in late afternoon trading.
Oil markets were also in decline Wednesday, with U.S. crude oil trading at $40.41 per barrel, down 0.5 percent, while Brent crude was trading at $42.88 per barrel, down 0.4 percent.
In futures trading, the Dow Jones and S&P 500 were trending downward, while the Nasdaq was virtually unchanged.