Asia’s stock markets start unevenly after package of sanctions against Russia

Tokyo The new trading week on the global stock markets starts with restraint in Tokyo. Despite the tough sanctions decided by the US and EU over the weekend, investors avoided a sell-off. Instead, the stock exchanges reacted inconsistently. In Japan and South Korea in particular, investors are awaiting the outcome of talks announced by Russia and Ukraine to take place on Monday morning at the Belarusian border.

The leading Japanese index Nikkei was even up at times during morning trading and finally went into the lunch break at 26,393 points and 0.3 percent below Friday’s closing price. The more broadly weighted Topix index was down 0.02 percent, while South Korea’s Kospi index was even up 0.2 percent.

Markets that are more dependent on China, however, turned more heavily into the red after a slow start. The Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.1 percent as of 10:30 a.m. local time, Hong Kong’s Hangseng Index was down 0.8 percent and Singapore’s Straits Times Index was down one percent.