Asian Markets Mixed on Tuesday as Japan Falls, China and Hong Kong Edge Higher

Asian markets had a mixed session on Tuesday, March 11, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined, weighed by weakness in brokerage and electronics stocks, while Chinese and Hong Kong equities posted modest gains. Investors remained cautious amid growing concerns over the U.S. economic outlook.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.64%, closing at 36,793.11 points, while the TOPIX Index declined 1.11%. The market was dragged lower by brokerage and electronics stocks, with Nomura Holdings down 4.4% and Fujitsu dropping 5.0%. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield decreased 7 basis points, settling at 1.505%.

In Mainland China, A-shares ended slightly higher. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.41%, closing at 3,379.83 points, while the Shenzhen Component Index added 0.33% to 10,861.16 points. The ChiNext Index edged up 0.19%, finishing at 2,204.03 points. Liquor, internet services, and rare metals sectors saw notable inflows, with the liquor sector attracting a net inflow of CNY 2.021 billion.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index closed down 0.01%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.39%. Among actively traded stocks, Alibaba slipped 0.67%, Tencent edged up 0.19%, Xiaomi gained 1.99%, Meituan lost 1.89%, and Kuaishou surged 5.15%.

In other Asian markets, South Korea’s KOSPI lost 1.28%, closing at 2,537.6 points, while Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI dropped 1.21%, ending at 1,517.81 points. Singapore’s STI Index fell 1.80%, closing at 3,828.7 points. India’s S&P BSE Sensex declined 0.07%, settling at 74,065.29 points, and Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index (IDX) lost 0.98%, closing at 6,533.76 points as of 16:17 SGT.