Sri Lankan stocks lower
Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Wednesday, dragged by energy stock.
The CSE All-Share index settled 0.64 percent lower at 20,517.55 points.
Standard Capital and C M Holdings PLC were the top percentage losers on the index, down 10.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.
Trading volume on the index rose to 60.4 million shares from 43.1 million shares in the previous session.
The equity market’s turnover rose to 1.99 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($6.01 million) from 1.07 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.
Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 31.5 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 1.96 billion rupees, the data showed.
Australian stocks slip
Australian shares fell on Thursday after a sell off in miners following Fortescue’s weak preliminary quarterly update, combined with investor caution after US Federal Reserve minutes showed officials were divided over further rate hikes.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.4 percent to 8,693.30 points by 2328 GMT, after ending 0.1 percent lower on Wednesday.
Fed minutes highlighted growing debate among policymakers over the inflation outlook, with officials split between treating recent price pressures as largely supply-driven and arguing that stronger demand warranted tighter policy, leaving investors cautious on the path of future rate cuts.
On the bourse, miners lost more than 2 percent, hitting their lowest since September 16, weighed down by Fortescue.
The world’s fourth-largest iron ore miner said its cash balance fell 37 percent in the September quarter, while reporting a preliminary 6 percent fall in first-quarter iron ore shipments.
Fortescue shares fell more than 3.5 percent to their lowest level since July 2025, making it one of the biggest laggards on the ASX.
The sub-index also came under pressure from lower aluminium and zinc prices.
Tech stocks fell 1.1 percent, tracking Wall Street’s losses, with WiseTech Global down 0.6 percent.
South Korea stocks on track
South Korean shares fell on Thursday and were headed for a second weekly loss in a holiday-shortened week, hurt by weakness in chipmakers and inflation concerns fuelled by higher oil prices.
The won firmed, while the benchmark bond yield fell. The benchmark KOSPI was down 59.48 points, or 0.87 percent, at 6,744.42 as of 0058 GMT.
For the week, the index is down 3.71 percent. South Korean markets will be closed on Friday for a public holiday.
Chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 0.74 percent, while peer SK Hynix gained 0.29 percent.
Samsung Electronics on Thursday projected its quarterly profit would top 100 trillion won ($74.75 billion), a world first for a technology company, estimating a nearly nine-fold jump in third-quarter earnings as booming demand for AI chips drove strong memory sales.
The IEA said completing previously announced oil releases as quickly as possible could bring around 100 million barrels to market, although analysts and some governments said the figure did not necessarily represent a fresh intervention of that size.
Among other index heavyweights, battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 6.01 percent, while Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were down 3.13 percent and down 2.46 percent, respectively.
Japan stocks extend losses
Japanese shares fell roughly 1 percent on Thursday, down for a second consecutive session, as investors paused after recent rallies, wary of the US rate outlook and geopolitical tensions.
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.9 percent to 69,366.14, while the broader Topix slid 1.54 percent to 4,090.19.
“Japanese shares had risen at a rapid pace through yesterday, and profit-taking has since picked up.
That selling pressure appears to be continuing today,” said Hiroki Takei, strategist, Resona Holdings.
Japanese AI-related shares were subdued even after Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, projected a nearly ninefold jump in third-quarter operating profit from a year earlier.
Indian stocks poised for muted start
Indian shares were likely to open slightly lower on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session after the central bank delivered a hawkish rate hike, while rising oil prices added to inflation worries.
Investors will also Tata Consultancy Services, India’s biggest software exporter, as it starts the September-quarter earnings season for large companies.
GIFT Nifty futures were at 22,600.5, as of 7:47 a.m. IST, indicating a weaker start for the benchmark Nifty 50 index, which closed at 22,603.05 on Wednesday.
The Reserve Bank of India raised its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.5 percent on Wednesday, marking the first rise in nearly four years amid mounting inflation and strong economic growth.
The central bank also signalled possibility of more rate hikes by changing its stance from “neutral” to “calibrated tightening”, as higher oil prices linked to the Iran war fuel inflation, erode purchasing power and pressure currencies.
European stocks dip
European shares fell on Thursday as banks slid to a more than three-month low, while a fresh bond selloff and elevated oil prices stoked fears that higher inflation could hurt economic growth.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.9 percent to 624.24 points, as of 0723 GMT.
European banks dropped nearly 2 percent, with Deutsche Bank , Banco Santander, Societe Generale and Unicredit all falling for a second day as euro zone bond yields climbed towards their recent peaks.
Oil prices climbed more than 3 percent on persistent concerns about supply from the key Middle East producing region, while a hurricane threat to US offshore operations prompted production cuts.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting showed officials were divided over the case for further rate hikes.
Sri Lankan stocks lower
Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Wednesday, dragged by energy stocks.
The CSE All-Share index settled 0.64 percent lower at 20,517.55 points.
Standard Capital and C M Holdings PLC were the top percentage losers on the index, down 10.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.
Trading volume on the index rose to 60.4 million shares from 43.1 million shares in the previous session.
The equity market’s turnover rose to 1.99 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($6.01 million) from 1.07 billion rupees in the previous session, according to exchange data.
Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading stocks worth 31.5 million rupees, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing shares worth 1.96 billion rupees, the data showed.