The Hang Seng Index fell 1.3 per cent to 24,848.13 at 10.10am local time, poised for its lowest close since July 18. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.8 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index slid 1.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.8 per cent.
US stocks gave up most of their gains and Treasury yields edged higher after the Fed left its benchmark borrowing cost unchanged. Chair Jerome Powell said that no decision was made about easing monetary policies in September.
Meanwhile, China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to 49.3 in July from 49.7 in June, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. The reading fell short of a consensus estimate of 49.7. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.
Other major Asia-Pacific markets were mixed: Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.8 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi retreated 0.1 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3 per cent.
