Asian Markets Weekly Roundup: Bearish Sentiments Prevail As Uncertainty Persists

Asian markets suffered during the week to 7 June, pulled down by weak economic data coming in from China and the US, and by the uncertainty that surrounds the US Federal Reserve's quantitative easing programme.

The markets opened the week on a mixed note. The Japanese Nikkei started the week by shedding over 2% by the midday break on 3 June, following a sell-off on Wall Street on 31 May, with investors trying to make sense of the disparity in the two sets of data on Chinese factory activity.

A bearish sentiment prevailed during opening trade on Tuesday on concerns about the slowdown in China, despite positive cues from Wall Street, where weak factory activity data for May prompted investors to buy stocks.

Fed fears fuelled the selling of stocks across Asia Wednesday morning. But Thursday was the worst day for Asian equities in the year so far after lower-than-expected growth in American private sector jobs, in May, pulled down stocks to a new 2013 low in opening trade that day.

Friday was bad as well, with investors entering bear territory ahead of the release of May employment numbers from the world's leading economy.

The Shanghai Composite dropped 4.9% in the week ending 7 June to 2,210.90, pulled down by Chinese growth concerns. The pace of economic growth in China has slowed down, to 7.7% in the first quarter of 2013, compared with 7.9% in the last three months of 2012, after three decades of double-digit growth.

The Nikkei fell 4.5% during the week to 12,877.53. Weak factory activity data from China, a major export market for Japan, showed the world's second biggest economy was cooling. That, and the yen's 4% rise during the week, which impacted exporters' stocks, pulled down the index.

The Hang Seng ended 4% lower at the end of the week at 21,575.26 while South Korea's Kospi ended 3.6% lower to 1,923.85. Chinese growth concerns weighed on both markets

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 3.43% in the week ending 7 June to 4,737.70 after the government reported lower-than-expected first quarter growth figures on 5 June. Australia is suffering from a lower demand for its commodities as it struggles to move away from mining-led growth.

On Wall Street, stocks rallied on 7 June, posting their first weekly gains in three straight trading sessions after US government data showed that May nonfarm payrolls rose more than forecast.

Investors in Asia will be tracking Chinese monthly and yearly CPI data due later today. Japan puts out quarterly growth data on 9 June, forecast to remain unchanged at 0.9%

Elsewhere, New Zealand's interest rate decision will be out on 12 June, while Australia puts out employment change data the same day.

European investors will be tracking the Claimant Count Change which measures the change in the number of unemployed people in the UK, on 12 June.

In the US, the government will put out monthly retail sales figures on 13 May, the day it also releases initial jobless claims data. The latter is forecast to decrease by just a little to 345,000 from 346,000 previously.