Almost all Asian markets were trading lower. The exception was Japan's Nikkei 225, which rose 0.22%. Other markets traded lower: Chinese Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Composite lost 0.57% and 0.72% respectively, Korean KOSPI and Australian S&P/ASX 200 fell by approximately the same amount - 0.72% and 0.76%. The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index led losses, down 2%.
One of the reasons for the negative investor sentiment was the US stock market's decline on Thursday. Concerns about the economy and the future pace of central bank interest rate hikes unsettled investors. Many countries turned out to be stronger than analysts had anticipated. However, the question is whether it will be able to cope with the rise in rates, which are already at a higher level than last year.
In addition, according to the latest macro data, the consumer price index rose 2.1% from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday, up from 1.8% in December. At the same time, analysts had expected an increase to 2.2%. In monthly terms, inflation rose by 0.8%.
China's producer price index (PPI) decreased by 0.8% year on year in January. This was the fourth straight month of producer price deflation. It exceeded the forecasts of experts, who expected its decline by 0.5%.
The Hong Kong stock market significantly fell due to losses from: Country Garden Services Holdings down by 7%, Baidu which lost 6.9%, JD.com which fell by 6.7% and Meituan which dropped by 5.2%. Xiaomi shares lost slightly less at 2.8%.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the PPI rose 9.5% in January from a year earlier. This index was lower than experts' forecasts, who expected its increase by 9.6%, and lower than the level of the previous month, when the increase was 10.5%.
The Nikkei 225 recorded gains as Kobe Steel, Ltd. climbed 12.9%, while Tokai Carbon, Co. Ltd. rose 10.4%.
Thanks to the increase in net profit and income for the third quarter of the current fiscal year of Nissan Motor, its shares rose by 1.35%, although profit was below market forecasts, while its income turned out to be higher.
At the same time, shares of Toyota Motor, Corp. shed 1.6% due to a decline in its net profit for the third quarter. However, the company managed to keep its sales and profit guidance unchanged for the full fiscal year.
Toshiba, Corp. fell 0.9% due to a buyout offer from a consortium of investors led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP).
The Korean KOSPI was trading mixed. Samsung Electronics lost 0.63% in price, while Hyundai Motor rose 0.3%.
The Reserve Bank of Australia reported an increase in core inflation forecasts and its intention to raise interest rates.
Inflation in Australia rose to a new 32-year high of 7.8% in the final quarter of the fiscal year of 2022. According to the latest forecast, inflation is expected to slow to 6.7% by the middle of this year, rather than the 6.3% previously forecast.
The Australian stock market was trading lower as Rio Tinto shares dropped 1.1%, while BHP lost 0.25%.
