Most Asia-Pacific stock markets closed lower on their first trading day of the week. Market analysts say investors have yet to see relief in the global economic gloom as more statistics point to a deepening downturn.
亚太地区大部分股市在本周第一天的交易中走低。市场分析人士说，由于更多的统计数据显示经济在进一步下滑，投资者还没有看到全球经济疲软有缓解的迹象。
Investors in Asia sold a lot of financial stocks Monday worried about bad debts and capital adequacy in the global banking system.
星期一，亚洲投资者大量抛售金融业股票，他们担心全球金融系统中的坏帐，以及是否有足够的资本。
In Hong Kong, investors waited anxiously for HSBC Holdings bank's annual earnings announcement. HSBC said Monday profit shrunk 70 percent in 2008 and that it will raise nearly $18 billion to boost capital.
在香港，投资者们焦急地等待汇丰控股银行的年度收益报告。汇丰银行星期一表示，银行2008年的利润减少了70%，并说将筹集近180亿美元来扩充资本。
Castor Pang, strategist at Sun Hung Kai Financial, says the results are unlikely to lift market sentiment in Hong Kong, where HSBC is the biggest bank.
新鸿基金融集团的战略分析师彭维新说，这些消息不太可能会提升香港的市场情绪。汇丰银行是香港最大的银行。
"This announcement would continue to hurt market sentiment and the confidence on HSBC," Pang said.
他说：“汇丰宣布的消息将会继续伤害市场情绪和人们对汇丰的信心。”
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index tumbled four percent and Japan's Nikei Index also fell nearly four percent.
星期一，香港恒生指数暴跌了4%，日本日经指数也下跌了近4%。
Bank stocks across the region were also battered. Shares of Japan's biggest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, declined 6.8 percent. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia fell nearly five percent.
亚太地区的银行股也普遍受挫。日本最大的银行--三菱UFJ金融集团的股价下跌了6.8%。澳大利亚联邦银行的股价下跌了近5%。
Analysts say the selling Monday was also a reaction to bleak U.S. economic numbers announced late last week, which pointed to a deepening economic recession.
分析人士说，美国上周五公布了萧条的经济数据，显示经济在进一步衰退。星期一的抛售也是对这些数据作出的反应。
Gloomy statistics are coming out of the region as well. Japan said Monday monthly wages continued to decline. In Australia, the government treasurer, Wayne Swan, warned of weak economic numbers to be released Wednesday.
而亚太地区的经济数据也令人沮丧。星期一，日本表示，人们的月工资水平在继续下跌。澳大利亚的财政部长斯万警告说，政府星期三将公布一些疲软的经济数据。
"There's no doubt there will be a dramatic impact on growth in the December quarter from what has occurred around the globe," Swan said.
他说：“毫无疑问，全球局势必将给12月这个季度的增长带来重大影响。”
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index fell nearly three percent to a five-year low.
澳大利亚S&P/ASX 200股指下跌了近3%，达到五年来的最低点。
South Korea's KOSPI fell four percent, while Taiwan dropped three percent. Thailand's index was down more than three percent.
Shanghai recovered from early losses and closed half a percent higher.
上海股市在下跌后有所回升，在收盘时上涨了0.5%。 |