The stock markets of the largest countries in the Asia-Pacific region ended the session on Thursday falling on the continuing fears about the rise in interest rates by the central banks of the world.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.8%, China’s Shanghai Composite index – 0.5%.

Among the leaders of the decline in quotations on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange were shares of the Internet company Meituan (HK:3690) (-5.9%), Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC Ltd. (-5.6%), owner of the restaurant chain Haidilao International Holding Ltd. (-4.8%) and automaker BYD Co. Ltd. (HK:0883) (-4%).

China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.5 in August from 50.4 in the previous month, according to data from Caixin Media Co. and S&P Global, which calculate the value of the indicator.

Meanwhile, Caixin and S&P Global’s reading came close to the official manufacturing PMI estimate of 49.4 released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics a day earlier.

The value of the Japanese Nikkei 225 index decreased by 1.5%.

Among the components of the index, shares of the chemical Unitika Ltd. fell the most. (-4.6%), trading Marubeni Corp. (-4.2%) and engineering Denso Corp. (-4.1%).

Papers of the media company Kadokawa Corp. rose 3.8% on news that its IT division, FromSoftware Inc. – invested in Sony Group Corp. (TYO:6758) and Tencent Holdings Ltd. (HK:0700)

The South Korean Kospi index fell 2.3%.

Shares of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chips and consumer electronics Samsung Electronics Co. (KS:005930) fell 2.2%, automaker Kia Corp. (KS:000270) – by 0.7%.

The South Korean economy in the second quarter of 2022 grew by 2.9% compared to the same period last year, showed the final data of the Bank of Korea. Compared to the first quarter of 2022, the country’s GDP increased by 0.7%.

Both estimates coincided with preliminary data.

The Australian S&P/ASX 200 fell 2%.

The market value of the world’s largest mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) fell by 1.6% and 2.1%, respectively.