Tokyo, Japan (BBN)-Japanese shares started the week with slight losses as a stronger yen is dampening enthusiasm among investors.
The Nikkei 225 is down by 0.3% with the country’s exporters suffering most from the strengthening currency – it makes their products more expensive on the global market, reports BBC.
In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is up by 0.9%, partly driven by last Friday’s announcement that the Hong Kong-Shenzhen stock connect will finally launch on December 5.
Traders are hoping that the link between the two markets will bring in a fresh wave of Chinese money.
On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite is up by 0.5%.
In Australia, the ASX/200 closed 0.8% lower with energy stocks under pressure from a sharp drop in oil prices.
South Korea’s Kospi index is up by 0.3%. Samsung Electronics shares are 1.6% higher on news that the board will meet on Tuesday to consider the calls for breaking up the company into two separate units.
BBN/SS/AI