Banking & Finance
Asian shares edge up but sentiment remains fragile
Asian shares barely managed to hold firm on Monday after a tumultuous week for global equities.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last up 0.3 percent after rising just over 0.5 percent earlier in the day. The losses in Asia were largely led by China’s blue-chip index which tumbled 2.5 percent following disappointing earnings from the country’s top liquor maker Kweichow Moutai.
Chinese data over the weekend also underscored worries of a cooling economy as profit growth at its industrial firms slowed for the fifth consecutive month in September as sales of raw materials and manufactured goods ebbed.
Citibank has projected China’s real economic growth to slow to 6.4 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter “amid trade headwinds and domestic uncertainties,” compared to a 6.8 percent rise at the start of the year. “As lagging indicators, overall industrial revenue and profit should continue to soften accordingly,” it said.
Wider sentiment in global financial markets has been hit by a range of negative factors from an intensifying China-U.S. trade conflict to worries about U.S. corporate earnings to Italian budget woes as well as Federal Reserve rate increases.
Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.1 percent, having climbed 1 percent earlier while South Korea’s KOSPI eased 0.4 percent. Shanghai’s SSE Composite faltered 1.5 percent.
E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 and Dow minis declined about 0.1 percent each, after rising as much as 0.4 percent earlier in the day. Australian shares, up 1.2 percent, were a rare bright spot.
Analysts warn of more volatility after heavy losses across major equity indices left investors with negative returns for the year. Bears are on the rise, with some indices already in official correction territory amid heightened worries over corporate earnings and global growth.
-
News2 months agoINVESTIGATION: Why Nokia Could Matter More in the Quantum Age Than It Ever Did in Mobile
-
News2 months agoINVESTIGATION: Is AI in a Bubble? Inside the Trillion-Dollar Question Reshaping Global Markets
-
News2 months agoThales & Ankaa to Deliver Multi-Mission Air Traffic Surveillance Radars for Oman, Capable of Supporting Civil & Military Operations
-
Economy2 months agoWhat Higher Oil Prices Mean for Oman’s Economy in 2026
-
Economy2 months agoOMIFCO Successfully Completes Bookbuilding & Sets Final IPO Offer Price
-
Business2 months agoOman India Fertiliser Company Lists on Muscat Stock Exchange
-
Banking & Finance1 month agoBank Muscat posts net profit of RO137.49 million in H1 2026
-
Insurance2 months agoLEADERSPEAK: Dhofar Insurance CEO Sunil Kohli on Oman’s Insurance Sector, Reinsurance & Market Outlook

You must be logged in to post a comment Login