Asian shares were mixed on Thursday as protesters in Hong Kong vowed to keep opposing a proposed extradition bill they fear would whittle down the Chinese territory’s legal autonomy.
The protests threaten to shake confidence in the hub for many regional and international businesses and investors.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up 0.5 per cent to 27,163.46, extending its losses after closing down 1.7 per cent on Wednesday.
The Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 per cent to 2,912.47 while South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.8 per cent to 2,092.11. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.8 per cent to 20,958.25.
Australia’s S&P ASX 200 picked up 0.1 per cent to 6,550.10 after the release of better-than-expected jobs data. Shares fell in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia, reports AP.
The S&P 500 index eased 0.2 per cent to 2,879.84. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also fell 0.2 per cent to 26,004.83.
The Nasdaq composite dropped 0.4 per cent to 7,792.72. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks edged up less than 0.1 per cent to 1,519.79.
Benchmark US crude lost 9 cents to $51.05 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It shed $2.13 to $51.14 per barrel on Wednesday.
Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 7 cents to $59.90 per barrel. The contract lost $2.32 to $59.97 per barrel in the previous session.
The dollar slipped to 108.32 Japanese yen from 108.50 yen late Wednesday. The euro rose to $1.1293 from $1.1288.