The Asian stock markets dropped on Wednesday as world leaders met in Bali, Indonesia for the second day of the Group of 20 meeting. President Andrzej Duda of Poland has called the deaths of two Polish citizens at the hands of a missile made in Russia an “isolated incident,” and an investigation has been launched.
As of 9.26 A.M. (Thai time), the Nikkei 225 in Japan dropped 0.40%. South Korea’s Kospi
slipped 0.51% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.41%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index and the Hang Seng Tech index fell around 1% in early trade. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite was fractionally lower.
The stock market in the United States rose overnight as a gauge of wholesale inflation suggested that inflationary pressures may be lessening.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 56.22 points, or 0.17%, to close the day at 33,592.92. The S&P 500 index rose 0.87%, to 3,991.73, while the Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted toward technology companies, rose 1.45%, to 11,358.41.
On Wednesday morning, Polish officials reported that a Russian-made missile had landed in the country’s east, killing two people in an explosion that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy called “a very significant escalation of the war.”
The precise circumstances surrounding the tragic explosion were unknown, including who launched the missile and from where. Poland’s government has said that it is conducting an investigation and increasing its military readiness. NATO planned to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the events close to the Ukrainian border.
Russia, meanwhile, has denied any involvement.
