Friday morning, during Asian trade hours, the Asian and Pacific Rim regional equity markets were cautious. Traders were digesting new political uncertainty out of the United Kingdom after several key government ministers resigned from Prime Minister Theresa May’s government. They were in her political party and resigned over Brexit.
The United Kingdom has been thrust into political turmoil, on Thursday, as a number of government ministers resigned from Prime Minister May’s government. These resignations include the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. He said that he could not accept the deal. His comment and resignation comes after the promises the ruling Conservative Party made to the country in their election manifesto in 2018.
As a result the British pound was under pressure again against most of its major trading peers.
Looking at Japan, the Asian benchmark, the Nikkei 225 was down. The Nikkei lost 0.52 percent. In Tokyo, the broader Topix index was down 0.62 percent.
In South Korea, the Kospi composite index shed some of its early gains to trade up a fraction.
Asian Markets in China and Australia fall Lower Friday Morning
Looking at the mainland Chinese markets, which have been closely watched by regional traders in Asia, as a trade war between China and the United States continue, fell this morning in quiet and cautious trade.
The Shanghai composite was fell by 0.32 percent. The smaller Shenzhen composite was down 0.28 percent.
In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng index was down by 0.87 percent.
In Australia, the benchmark S&P ASX 200 was also down during Asian trade hours. Australian stocks were down 0.15 percent. Most sub-sectors fell today. However, the energy sector was up 0.14 percent. The heavily-weighted financial sub-index was mostly flat.