Asian markets close mixed on Thursday

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) – Major stock markets in Asia closed Thursday on a mixed note as investors followed the US Senate’s vote on a stopgap funding bill later in the day to halt a government shutdown.

Inflation and tightening worries persist despite major central banks, such as the Fed and the European Central Bank, voicing optimism that the supply chain disruptions pushing up inflation rates around the world will ultimately pass.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, gained 2.04 points, or 0.05%, to close at nearly 3,855 points, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange plunged 91.63 points, or 0.31%, to 29,452.

China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange was in positive territory, climbing 31.87 points, or 0.90%, to 3,568.

The Singapore index was up 15.67 points, or 0.51%, to 3,089, while India’s Sensex dropped 352.16 points, or 0.59%, to 59,061.

Meanwhile, China’s manufacturing industry weakened in September as the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell below the threshold level for the first time since February 2020, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

Dropping for the sixth consecutive month, the manufacturing PMI was at 49.6 in September versus 50.1 in August.