Asian Markets Shrug Off Taiwan Earthquake and China Sentiment Fades

Asian markets seemed little moved by a major earthquake hitting Taiwan, with stocks across the region trading lower in line with a two-day selloff on Wall Street and as earlier positive sentiment faded over the economic recovery in China. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index retreated 1.2% while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2%. In Taiwan, where a 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the island on Wednesday, the benchmark TAIEX shed just 0.6%.