Most Asian stock markets close Thursday lower

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Major Asian stock markets closed lower on Thursday amid fears of a global economic slowdown.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, lost 0.95% for a reading of 3,463.98 points.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 1.14% to close at 26,405.23.

Japan Thursday announced a record-high trade deficit in 2022, as the figure hit 9.97 trillion yen (some $155.3 billion),

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, fell 0.12% to 21,650.98.

Hong Kong's seasonally adjusted jobless rate dropped to 3.5% in the three months to December 2022, from 3.7% in September-November.

China's Shanghai Stock Exchange, on the other hand, rose 0.49% to 3,240.28.

India's Sensex benchmark decreased 0.31% to close at 60,858.43, while the Singapore index dropped 0.41% to 3,276.18.