Asian shares slip amid pandemic, Afghanistan worries

Asian shares are slipping amid worries about surging coronavirus infections in the region, as well as concerns about the long-term impact from the Afghan government’s collapse

TOKYO -- Asian shares slipped Monday, amid worries about surging coronavirus infections in the region, as well as concerns about the long-term impact from the Afghan government’s collapse. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 sagged 1.9% to 27,441.12 in morning trading, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4% to 7,594.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.6% to 26,237.92, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.4% to 3,530.45. South Korean markets were closed for Liberation Day, a national holiday. Analysts said the relatively slow vaccination rollouts in Asia are pushing down investor sentiments. Japan, Thailand and Malaysia are among nations reporting several record daily new cases recently and several nations have seen surges outpace or otherwise hinder their vaccination rollouts. “This is stretching out already elongated timelines to herd immunity, necessitating periodic lockdowns to stymie rising infection rates,” said Venkateswara Lavanya at Mizuho Bank in Singapore.