Most Southeast Asian stocks fell on Friday on uncertainty over the prospect of further easing from the European Central Bank while sentiment was also hit following reports North Korea had conducted a nuclear test.
Indonesian shares fell 1.0 per cent to their lowest in nearly 4 weeks, weighed down by financials and consumer staples.
Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk PT fell 1.5 per cent, while Unilever Indonesia Tbk PT dropped nearly 1.0 per cent.
Oil prices pulled back a little after surging more than 4.0 per cent on Thursday to two-week highs on surprisingly large drawdown in US crude stocks.
Singapore declined as much as 1.0 per cent in its sharpest fall since Aug. 3, with financials and telecoms being the biggest drag.
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd fell 1.7 per cent, while DBS Group Holdings Ltd lost 1.3 per cent.
Malaysian shares were marginally lower, with financials and utilities among the biggest losers. Genting Bhd fell 1.4 per cent, while Tenaga Nasional Bhd lost 1.1 per cent.
Industrial production grew 4.1 per cent in July compared with a year earlier, government data released on Friday showed.
Bucking the broader Asian trend, Vietnamese stocks rose 0.5 per cent, led by utilities and financials. Vietcombank gained 6.3 per cent, while Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corp was up 1.6 per cent, according to Reuters.
-SRS-
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