As Asian stock exchanges and the Pacific closed mostly lower this Friday (31), following weak Chinese manufacturing data and amid doubts about the trade truce between the US and China, but those in Tokyo and Seoul advanced to records for the third consecutive session.
In mainland China markets, the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.81% to 3,954.79 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite index fell 0.32% to 2,509.59 points.
Official data today showed that China’s manufacturing PMI declined to 49 in October, indicating the sharpest contraction in manufacturing activity in six months.
In the commercial sphere, investors fear that tensions between the US and China will persist, although
The day was also negative in Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng fell 1.43%, to 25,906.65 points, and in Taiwan, with a modest drop of 0.19% in the Taiex, to 28,233.35 points.
On the other hand, the Japanese Nikkei jumped 2.12% in Tokyo, to a new all-time high of 52,411.34 points, driven by technology and electronics stocks, and the Kospi advanced 0.50% in Seoul, to an unprecedented level of 4,107.50 points, with a jump in chip stocks and shares linked to artificial intelligence after the American Nvidia announced a collaboration with the South Korean government to expand the country’s AI infrastructure.
In Oceania, the Australian stock market was in the red for the fourth day in a row, with a marginal loss of 0.04% on the S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney, at 8,881.90 points.
