Asian stock markets generally fell Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve suggested a change in monetary policy could come soon, while decelerating manufacturing activity in China weighed on Hong Kong.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index regained 289.52 points, or 1.9%, to 15,365.60
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 120.57 points, or 0.5%, to 23,580.29
Officials at the Fed still expect to start reducing its stimulus in the "coming months," according to the minutes from the central bank’s policy meeting at the end of October.
Although the officials said they expected the local employment situation to improve over the coming months, they also stressed that short-term interest rates will remain low for a long time after it ends the $85-billion-U.S.-a-month bond-buying program.
The minutes helped the dollar strengthen against a number of currencies. The greenback traded at 100.76 yen late in Asia compared with ¥100.03 late Wednesday in New York, while the Australian dollar extended its overnight fall after Chinese data came out to trade recently at $0.9286.
CHINA
Shanghai’s CSI 300 index dipped 14.86 points, or 0.6%, to 2,409.99
The main economic indicator for Asia on Thursday was Chinese preliminary manufacturing data for November from HSBC, with a reading of 50.4, compared with a final October result of 50.9. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in manufacturing activity, while a score below that points to contraction.
In other markets;
Korea’s Kospi Index subtracted 23.46 points, or 1.2%, to 1,993.78
Taiwan’s Taiex Index fell 105.01 points, or 1.3%, to 8,099.45
The Singapore Straits Times Index erased 11.85 points, or 0.4%, to 3,172.38
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 slid 22 points, or 0.5%, to 4,818.37
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 19.35 points, or 0.4%, to 5,288.32
