HSI Edges Down As Nervous Markets Eye Trump Visit

Hong Kong stocks edged down on Monday as investor jitters over the increasingly fractious US-China trade war refused to ease.

The Hang Seng Index fell 0.2 percent, to 27,288.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index ended 1.4 percent higher, at 2,892, while the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 2.5 percent, to close at 1,533.

Other Asian markets staged a cautious recovery even though the Dow retreated for the fifth straight week, its longest losing streak since 2011.

Tokyo rose 0.3 percent while the Kospi in South Korea edged up 0.1 percent. Shares in Taiwan, Jakarta and Thailand were up but Singapore fell.

Without big data releases to drive sentiment, Trump's four-day visit to Japan could enliven trading, said Jeffrey Halley of Oanda.

"We will almost certainly see some interesting 'comments' to drive volatility in Asia this week," he said in a commentary.

Oil prices inched down after suffering a sudden rout last week due to a surprise increase in US crude and gasoline inventories.

Despite the OPEC output cap as well as US sanctions against Iran and Venezuela putting pressure on supplies, jitters over the US-China trade war have dampened future demand, keeping prices on the lower side. (AP, AFP)