Why it matters
- China's CSI 300 fell 1.36% to 4,217.68 and the Shenzhen Component dropped 1.97% to a more-than-one-year low on Wednesday, as producer prices rose 5.0% in September, the most since June 2022, according to Trading Economics.
- South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.44% to 6,008.81 for a sixth straight loss, and Japan's Nikkei 225 edged down 0.05%, as an ASML warning that it cannot fully meet chip-equipment demand revived AI worries, Trading Economics said.
- Taiwan's Taiex bucked the trend with a 0.59% gain, while Australia's ASX 200 fell 0.64% and India's Sensex lost 0.34%.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
Most Asian stock markets fell on Wednesday, Oct. 14, led by mainland China, where the CSI 300 dropped 1.36% to 4,217.68 and the Shenzhen Component slid 1.97% after factory-gate inflation jumped to its highest in more than four years, according to Yahoo Finance data and Trading Economics. Taiwan's Taiex was the main exception, rising 0.59%.
| Market | Wednesday close | Change vs. Tuesday |
|---|---|---|
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 67,744.29 | −0.05% |
| Kospi (South Korea) | 6,008.81 | −0.44% |
| Taiex (Taiwan) | 48,625.83 | +0.59% |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 24,314.17 | −0.13% |
| Hang Seng China Enterprises | 8,183.17 | +0.10% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,767.23 | −0.89% |
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 12,110.59 | −1.97% |
| CSI 300 (China) | 4,217.68 | −1.36% |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 8,727.90 | −0.64% |
| Sensex (India) | 72,781.89 | −0.34% |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 22,622.70 | −0.44% |
Source: Yahoo Finance chart data. Changes are from Tuesday, Oct. 13, closes.
Why did Chinese stocks fall today?
Rising cost pressure weighed on mainland shares. The Shanghai Composite closed at a near three-month low and the Shenzhen Component at a more-than-one-year low, Trading Economics said, as investors weighed higher input costs against strong exports. Foxconn Industrial Internet fell 6.67%, CATL 3.11% and Zhongji Innolight 5.73%, it reported.
China's producer price index rose 5.0% from a year earlier in September, up from 3.8% in August and above the 4.5% economists expected, Trading Economics said, citing the National Bureau of Statistics. Consumer prices rose 0.9%, up from 0.8% but just below the 1.0% forecast. Trading Economics also noted that September exports jumped 36.3% to a record $447.18 billion.
Japan and South Korea: chip worries linger
The Kospi gave up early gains to fall 0.44%, its sixth straight loss, Trading Economics said. It tied the slide to renewed concern over AI spending after Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML said its planned supply for 2027 and 2028 will not fully meet customer demand. ASML's own release also showed record quarterly sales of 11.7 billion euros. SK hynix fell 1.66% and Shinhan Financial Group 4.71%, while Samsung Electronics ended flat, Trading Economics reported. The Kospi lost 5.46% on Tuesday; see our Asia Tuesday recap.
The Nikkei 225 slipped 0.05% for a fifth straight decline. Trading Economics said early support from remarks by New York Fed President John Williams faded, with Kioxia Holdings down 3.2%, Tokyo Electron 2.7% and Mizuho Financial 2.9%. The yen weakened to about 158.77 per dollar around 12:55 GMT, from about 158.32 late Tuesday, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Hong Kong, Australia and India
The Hang Seng closed nearly flat, down 0.13% at 24,314.17, as losses in financial and tech shares outweighed gains in energy and retail stocks, Trading Economics said. Akeso fell 9.6%.
Australia's ASX 200 lost 56 points to 8,727.90. The big four banks fell between 0.9% and 2.3%, and BHP slipped 0.9%, Trading Economics said, as traders turned cautious before labor data.
India's Sensex fell 0.34%, reversing part of Tuesday's rally on profit-taking, higher oil prices and continued foreign selling, Trading Economics said. IT stocks rose again, led by Infosys, up 2.5%.
What comes next?
European shares are higher so far; see our Europe Wednesday recap. U.S. inflation data and bank earnings are in our day-ahead guide, and live levels are on the markets page.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- Trading Economics, China stock market (Shanghai Composite)
- Trading Economics, China producer prices and China inflation rate
- Trading Economics, South Korea stock market (Kospi)
- Trading Economics, Japan stock market (Nikkei 225)
- Trading Economics, Hong Kong stock market (Hang Seng)
- Trading Economics, Australia stock market (ASX 200)
- Trading Economics, India stock market (Sensex)
- ASML, third-quarter 2026 results press release (SEC filing)
- Yahoo Finance, chart data for the Nikkei 225, Kospi, Taiex, Hang Seng, Hang Seng China Enterprises, Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Component, CSI 300, S&P/ASX 200, Sensex, Nifty 50 and USD/JPY