Stocks in Asia Pacific dipped in morning trade as China kept its benchmark lending rate on hold, CNBC reports. South Korean stocks led losses regionally, with the Kospi dropping by 2.59 percent while Kosdaq index plunged by 3.78 percent. Mainland Chinese stocks dipped in early trade, with the Shanghai composite down about 0.4 percent, while the Shenzhen component dipped by 0.119 percent. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 average slipped by 0.73 percent while the Topix index shed 0.59 percent. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded 1.29 percent lower.

Source: The Standard August 20, 2020 03:33 UTC