Investors bail out of Hong Kong stocks as protests gather pace

Lola Evans
12 Jun 2019, 18:34 GMT+10

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 74.56 points or 0.35% to 21,129.72
The Australian All Ordinaries lifted 4.50 points or 0.07% to 6,628.90
China's Shanghai Composite dipped 16.34 points or 0.56% to 2,909.38

SYDNEY, Australia - Shares in Asia got sidelined on Wednesday, mirroring an indecisive day on Wall Street.

Only the Australian market managed to finish in the black, and that was only by a few points.

The biggest market in damage control was Hong Kong. Amidst protests by tens of thousands of people against a proposed extradition bill, and the use of tear gas by police, stocks in the Chinese province shattered.

At the day's end on Wednesday, the benchm,ark Hang Seng index was down 514.44 points or 1.85% at 27,274.90.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 74.56 points or 0.35% to 21,129.72.

China's Shanghai Composite dipped 16.34 points or 0.56% to 2,909.38.

The Australian All Ordinaries lifted 4.50 points or 0.07% to 6,628.90.

The U.S. dollar fell against the majors but was steady versus the commodity (dollar-bloc) currencies.

The euro rose to 1.1339 and was well-bid, indicating a run above 1.1350 is on the cards.

The British pound firmed to 1.2741.

The Japanese yen edged up to 108.32, while the Swiss franc firmed a tad to 0.9913.

The Canadian dollar was little changed at 1.3286, as were the Australian and New Zealand dollars at 0.6952 and 0.6584.

Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.17 points or 0.05% to 26,048.51, its first decline in seven trading days.

The Standard and Poor's 500 dropped 1.01 points or 0.03% to 2,885.72.

The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.60 of a point or 0.01% to 7,822.57.

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