Japan’s Nikkei leads losses in Asian markets amid the fear of rate hike, China property market woes

Most Asian stock markets trade lower on Thursday as investors were concerned about the possible additional interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve (Fed) this year.

At press time, China’s Shanghai is up 0.15% to 3,111, the Shenzhen Component Index rises 0.08% to 10,112, Hong Kong’s Hang Sang drops 0.88% to 17,458, South Japan’s Nikkei falls 1.76% and trading was closed in South Korea for a holiday.

Meanwhile, September is on course to be the worst month of the year for the S&P 500 as the market attempts to digest a rise in Treasury yields to levels not seen since 2007. The US Dollar Index (DXY) climbs to 106.65, the highest since November. The 10-year Treasury yield settled at 4.60%, its highest level since 2007.

Trading in China Evergrande Group shares was halted on Thursday after a report that its Chairman Hui Ka Yan had been placed under police watch, raising fears about the cash-strapped developer's future amid mounting liquidation risk.

Evergrande is the world's most indebted real estate developer, and it is at the heart of a property market crisis that is dragging down China's economic development.

The prospect of higher US interest rates and rising Treasury yields weigh on heavyweight technology stocks in Japan. Meanwhile, USD/JPY currently trades near the 150.00 mark on Thursday, which triggers some fear that Japanese authorities would take action to address the Japanese Yen's depreciation. On Wednesday, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki is back on the wires with some verbal intervention. Suzuki said once again that he was watching FX with a sense of urgency.

Looking ahead, market players await the US weekly Jobless Claims report, the third revision of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter, and Pending Home Sales data due later on Thursday. The attention will shift to the US Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index on Friday.