Asian shares mixed as markets eye Ukraine, inflation worries

By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mixed as worries about the pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine weigh on market sentiment. Benchmarks in Hong Kong and Sydney gained while Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai declined. Adding to concern over the economic impact from the pandemic, Shanghai went into a nine-day semi-lockdown. With China’s economic growth already slowing, the extreme measure could worsen unemployment, sap consumer demand and complicate already snarled global supply chains. More broadly, the war in Ukraine and inflation are clouding the global outlook. On Friday, major U.S. indexes closed mostly higher and several notched weekly gains. The benchmark S&P 500 climbed 0.5%.