Asian Stocks Mostly Higher as Markets Weight Economic Data

As investors weighed regional economic statistics, shares in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed on Thursday.

As of 9.40 A.M. (Thai time), the Hang Seng index jumped 3.02%, boosted by tech stocks. The Hang Seng Tech index rose more than 4%.

Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite  inched 0.27% higher.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.60% and the Kospi added 1.44%. 

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was just below the flatline.

According to preliminary official data, economic growth in South Korea slowed to 0.3% in the third quarter from the previous quarter, the slowest rate of expansion since the third quarter of 2021. China’s industrial profits declined 2.3% year on year from January to September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Thursday will mark the beginning of the Bank of Japan’s two-day monetary policy meeting.

Overnight in the US, the Nasdaq closed at 10,970.9, down 2.04%. The S&P 500 shed 0.74% to 3,830.60. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.37 points, roughly flat for the day and ending at 31,839.11.