Asian share markets mostly fell on Friday as investors' sentiment turned soured after the Wall Street losses overnight. Tokyo stocks fell sharply with the key Nikkei index hitting a fresh four-month intraday low under 9,500. Yen remained strong despite many key currencies were lower against US dollar.
Asian bourses opened mixed on Thursday after Wall Street posted a small gain overnight. US dollar's rebound provides an excuse for investors to lock in profits from the recent rallies. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index pared its early gains this morning after a touch of a fresh 15 month high. Tokyo stocks fell on jitters over a series of corporate fund raising plans.
Asian share markets broadly opened in positive territory. Japan's Nikkei was buoyed by the latest data showing that Japan's economy grew 1.2 per cent in July-September from the previous quarter, exceeding market expectations.
On Friday, the US stocks were boosted by the encouraging earnings from major retailers and The Walt Disney Co. A record number of U.S. companies beat earnings expectations in the third quarter. This week a new round of economic data including retail sales, inflation readings and housing starts will be the focus after most corporate results already reported.
Komatsu Ltd (TYO:6301), the Japanese earthmoving equipment giant, outperformed the industry in Japan and delivered a strong unit sales of hydraulic excavators jumped 75 percent in China in September.
Wall Street finished slightly lower overnight after the US stocks hit a fresh high on Friday. Investors locked in profits ahead of economic data due to release this week, including monthly retail sales figures and the Federal Reserve's statement on interest rates and the economy.
An encouraging employment report sent the US stocks to a more than nine months high on Friday. The Labor Department released a report that the country's unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 9.4 per cent, its first decline in 15 months.
