Asian stocks end Wednesday in the red

By Tuba Ongun

ANKARA (AA) - Asian stock exchanges ended Wednesday with declines as weaker-than-expected economic data weakened investors' confidence.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, dropped 1.98% to 3,344 points as of 1115GMT.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell by 1.41% to close at 30,887 points, retreating further from 33-year highs.

Earlier, Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry announced that the country’s industrial output unexpectedly fell in April for the first time in three months.

Industrial production declined 0.4% from a month earlier following two consecutive months of growth.

The country’s retail sales grew 5% year-on-year in April, below market forecast.

Meanwhile, the Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong exchange, fell 1.94% to 18,234 points.

India's Sensex index declined 0.55% to 62,622 points and the Singapore index dropped 0.90% to 3,158 points.

China's Shanghai Stock Exchange lost 0.61% to 3,204 after data showed that Chinese manufacturing activity contracted further in May.

The country’s NBS Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) surprisingly decreased to a five-month low of 48.8 in May from 49.2 in April, missing expectations.

It was the second consecutive month of contraction in manufacturing activity, amid weak domestic and overseas demand.