Australian shares closed above 9,000 while New Zealand’s benchmark finished lower, as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan stayed deep in the red late in Friday’s Asia session.
MoneyTurkey Foreign Markets Desk | 6 November 2026, 05:20 London
Key points
- S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,007.5, down 0.64% from Thursday’s 9,065.1.
- NZX 50 closed at 13,998.5, down 0.66% from Thursday’s 14,090.97.
- Nikkei 225 was down 5.94% at 57,451.72; KOSPI down 4.97% at 5,116.12; Taiwan Weighted down 3.95% at 39,932.56 (late-session prints).
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 held above the 9,000 mark at the Friday close even as the index finished lower on the day. New Zealand’s NZX 50 also ended lower. Both moves were modest beside the steeper declines still showing in Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.
What happened
As of about 05:16 London (Yahoo Finance delayed quotes; ASX and NZX session closes versus Thursday’s close): the S&P/ASX 200 finished at 9,007.5, down 0.64%. The NZX 50 finished at 13,998.5, down 0.66%. AUD/USD was around 0.6895 and NZD/USD around 0.5561.
In North Asia, still in the afternoon cash session at the same snapshot, the Nikkei 225 was at 57,451.72, down 5.94%; the KOSPI at 5,116.12, down 4.97%; and Taiwan’s weighted index at 39,932.56, down 3.95%.
Why markets care
Australia and New Zealand closed with only shallow losses after a volatile Asia day dominated by tech and chip-linked selling further north. The region’s split leaves Oceania relatively steadier into the London morning, while Japan–Korea–Taiwan prints remain the main gauge of whether Friday’s selloff is still deepening. SoftBank’s China robotics setback and overnight US tech weakness were already in focus earlier in the MoneyTurkey Asia coverage.
What to watch
- Tokyo and Seoul closes after the London morning open
- RBA and RBNZ policy signals
- Australian employment figures and New Zealand retail sales
- AUD and NZD levels versus the US dollar (AUD around 0.6895; NZD around 0.5561)
For information only. Not investment advice.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance (market data): S&P/ASX 200, NZX 50, Nikkei 225, KOSPI, Taiwan Weighted, AUD/USD, NZD/USD — world indices
- Related MoneyTurkey coverage: China blocks SoftBank ABB robotics deal; Asia open: KOSPI halted as Nikkei, Taiwan plunge
