Asian Markets Decline Amid Escalating COVID-19 Infections

A currency trader talks with his colleague at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 19, 2020.

Most Asian markets sustained losses Thursday as worries over the growing rate of coronavirus infections around the world overshadows optimism about a possible vaccine.

Tokyo’s Nikkei index and the TSEC index in Taipei both closed down 0.3%.

The S&P/ASX index finished 0.2% higher. Shanghai’s Composite index rose 0.4%, while the KOSPI in Seoul gained 1.7 points but was unchanged percentage-wise.

The indices in Hong Kong and Mumbai are lower in late afternoon trading, with the Hang Seng down 0.5%, and the Sensex losing 0.3%.

In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,861.90 an ounce, down 0.6%. U.S. crude oil is up 0.1%, selling at $41.87 per barrel, while Brent crude is selling at $44.56 per barrel, up 0.5%.

In futures trading, the Dow and S&P 500 are trending higher, while the Nasdaq is trending downward.