Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Monday, as the coronavirus situation in parts of North Asia remained serious.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 48.97 points, or 0.2%, to 26,714.42.
The Japanese yen traded at 103.55 per U.S. dollar following levels below 103.2 against the greenback seen last week.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 191.92 points, or 0.7%, to 26,306.68.
Hong Kong-listed shares of China’s largest chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, was down 3.6% after the firm the U.S. Commerce Department added the firm to its blacklist, limiting its ability to access certain U.S. technology.
The coronavirus situation in parts of North Asia, such as Japan and South Korea, remained severe and could have weighed on investor sentiment.
New coronavirus cases in South Korea hit a fresh record high on Sunday, according to local news agency Yonhap. Over in Japan, the country’s capital Tokyo saw its monthly tally of new coronavirus cases topping 10,000 for the first time on Sunday, according to Kyodo News.
Australian markets were slightly off. The downward moves came as the other states imposed travel restrictions on Sydney, leaving the country’s most populous city was isolated from the rest of the nation amid a growing cluster of coronavirus cases.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7534, having risen from levels below $0.752 last week.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 regained 46.87 points, or 0.9%, to 5,046.84
China on Monday kept its Loan Prime Rates unchanged, in line with expectations from analysts and traders in a recent Reuters poll. The one-year rate was kept at 3.85%, and five-year LPR stayed at 4.65%,
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 regained 46.87 points, or 0.9%, to 5,046.84
In Korea, the Kospi index eked up 6.47 points, or 0.2%, to 2,778.65
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index climbed 135 points, or 1%, to 14,384.96.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index doffed 2.46 points, or 0.1%, to 2,846.57.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 slumped 74.76 points, or 0.6%, to 12,607.74.
In Australia, the ASX 200 slipped 5.58 points, or 0.1%, to 6,669.89.