Finished utility hole covers and frames stored for shipment at the Ito Tekko Co. foundry in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture,
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets opened lower on Monday after a week that saw a broad rally in stocks.
Traders in Asia will watch out for central bank releases this week, including the Bank of Korea’s rate decision and minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s August meeting.
Inflation data from Japan and Singapore will also be released on Friday, while China will announce its one-year and five-year loan prime rates on Tuesday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.84%, while the broad-based Topix fell 0.8%.
Core machinery orders in Japan fell 1.7% year on year in June, surprising economists who had expected a 1.8% rise. Machinery orders are viewed as a proxy for capital expenditure in the country.
South Korea’s Kospi opened 0.32% lower, and the small-cap Kosdaq slid 0.46%
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.11%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 17,575, higher than the HSI’s last close of 17,430.16
