Asian shares mostly lower on N Korea worries

Published: September 08, 2017 11:00:25 | Updated: October 24, 2017 17:05:29

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Asian shares mostly slipped Friday as worries remained about the damage from Hurricane Irma in the US, as well as lingering fears about ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons in North Korea.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 0.3 per cent to 19,340.25 in early trading, as GDP data that got revised lower also dampened sentiments. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2 per cent to 5,676.10.

South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2 per cent to 2,341.71. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added nearly 0.6 per cent to 27,673.34, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,366.80, reports AP.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged down 0.44 points to 2,465.10. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 22.86 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 21,784.78. The Nasdaq composite rose 4.55 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 6,397.87.

Benchmark US crude added 6 cents to $49.15 a barrel. It fell 7 cents to $49.09 a barrel in New York Thursday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 12 cents to $54.61 a barrel in London.

The dollar is falling after the European Central Bank raised its economic growth forecast for the region this year. The euro strengthened to $1.2024 from $1.1925. The dollar fell to 108.42 yen from 109.08 yen late Thursday.