Asian markets open mostly negative

Asian stocks opened the fourth trading session of this week on negative performance, as the Japanese, Chinese and New Zealand's stocks fell, in addition to Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea's Kospi, while Australian stocks saw positive stability today, after the release of economic data by the Australian economy.

The Japanese Minister of Economy, Hiroshige Sekō, expressed yesterday his hopes for positive results for the trade talks he is conducting on behalf of his country with the United States in Washington, which started at the beginning of this week and ends later today, adding that the talks are still at an early stage, and that he will hold talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer ahead of the Japan-US summit next week.

Earlier on Monday, the Japanese Minister said that he had “frank and good” trade talks with his US counterpart, in response to US President Donald Trump's recent criticism on the trade surplus in favor of Japan with his country, which reached a peak of $69 billion and that he wants to reach a two-way deal to address it.

In another context, markets are also looking for developments in the ongoing trade negotiations between the United States and China, and the mechanism of trade protectionism that the United States intends to take with the European Union, in addition to the Union's intention to respond by imposing tariffs on US goods, regarding the dispute between the two sides over the European Union's support for Airbus on the expense of Boeing, which faces hard challenges in the mean time.

In terms of trading, the Japanese stock indices saw a decline during today's trading session, as the broader Topix index fell by 0.46% to lose 7.55 points to reach 1,623.13, Nikkei's 225 also fell by 0.47% to lose 105.24 points to 22,172.73.

Chinese stock indices also saw a decline during today's session, as  CSI 300 index fell by 0.13% to lose 5.39 points and reach 4,081.85, the Shanghai composite index also dropped by 0.01% to lose 0.44 points  to 3,262.68.

Hong Kong Hang Sang fell 0.26% (77.87 points) to 30,046.81. and South Korea's Kospi Index fell 0.78%, shedding 17.44 points to 2,228.45.

To New Zealand's NZX 50, which fell 0.36% (36.29 points) to 9,945.95. On the other hand, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.05% to gain 3.02 points and  reach the level of 6,259.40.