Asian markets end mostly in red on Thursday

Asian markets ended mostly in red on Thursday pressured by the risk aversion in the market after China’s bank lending data contracted for the first time in two decades. Participants sidelined on caution ahead of US- Russia talks on Ukraine. Japan’s Nikkei tumbled the most among Asian indices after the local currency yen advanced for the third straight session. Meanwhile,US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s assertion that the Bank of Japan is ‘behind the curve’ in managing inflation has prompted a rise in 10-year government bonds, indicating expectations of forthcoming interest rate increases.