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Asia shares down despite China factory data | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Asian shares were down on Thursday, taking their lead from losses on Wall Street, despite positive factory data from China. | |
Japan's Nikkei index closed down 0.4% at 15,138.96 points. | |
Earlier in the US, the S&P 500 ended a four-day winning streak after a fatal shooting in Canada's capital city unsettled investors. | |
A gunman killed a soldier at a war memorial in Ottawa and shots were fired in the parliament building. | A gunman killed a soldier at a war memorial in Ottawa and shots were fired in the parliament building. |
The Nikkei's lull comes after a more upbeat day for the index on Wednesday, when Japanese investor sentiment was boosted by official trade figures that showed a rapid increase in exports during September. | The Nikkei's lull comes after a more upbeat day for the index on Wednesday, when Japanese investor sentiment was boosted by official trade figures that showed a rapid increase in exports during September. |
The world's third-largest economy said its exports jumped 6.9% from a year earlier - the strongest rise for seven months - although official data showed its trade deficit for the month still widened. | The world's third-largest economy said its exports jumped 6.9% from a year earlier - the strongest rise for seven months - although official data showed its trade deficit for the month still widened. |
Shares of Takata, a firm that makes airbags for cars, were down by more than 6% after US car safety regulators expanded a recall of vehicles with potentially dangerous Takata airbags to 7.8 million. | |
China manufacturing expands | |
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite was 0.8% lower, despite HSBC's purchasing managers' index (PMI) reading for small and medium-sized factories in China coming in slightly ahead of expectations. | |
While the HSBC reading was positive, up from 50.2 in September to 50.4 in October, sub index figures showed that factory output had fallen to a five-month low. | |
"While the manufacturing sector likely stabilised in October, [China's] economy continues to show signs of insufficient effective demand," HSBC said. | "While the manufacturing sector likely stabilised in October, [China's] economy continues to show signs of insufficient effective demand," HSBC said. |
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was also down 0.4%. | |
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.1% lower, ending seven sessions of gains - its longest winning streak since August. | |
In South Korea, the Kospi closed down 0.3%, but losses were capped by a late rally in Hyundai Motor shares, which jumped almost 6% higher on earnings expectations. | |
The carmaker said its fourth-quarter profit would improve and that it was mulling a sizable increase in dividend rates. |