Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China

Most Asian markets ended lower on Friday, following the massive slump on Wall Street in previous trading session. Investors also remained cautious before a key U.S. report on the jobs market. In major indexes, Japan's Nikkei 225 Average saw a biggest fall of 3.5%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended down 2.4%, while Shanghai Composite fell 1.3%.

Most Asian markets were hammered Monday over the concerns that the global recession is deepening. Hong Kong shares plunged sharply, even as mainland-Chinese shares gained after the Chinese New Year holidays. In Tokyo, some of Japan's biggest industrial companies fell to multiyear lows. China's Shanghai Composite contrasted other major indexes with 1 per cent surge as agricultural sector was strengthened after the Chinese government announced measures to prevent grain production from falling.

The Australian share market is expected to open lower today after Wall St fell over one per cent on Friday. On the Sydney Futures exchange, the September share price index futures contract lost 74 points, or 1.49 per cent, to 4,880.
The Australian share market rose 0.9 per cent on Friday as resource stocks, led by gold and oil companies, surged on higher commodity prices and the banks pared early losses.