Asian equity markets are trading mixed in early deals on Thursday as U.S. industrial production increased more than forecast in March and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the central bank remains committed to supporting the economic recovery. The Japanese stock market swung between gains and losses in the morning session, despite a positive lead from Wall Street. Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Shanghai, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are trading modestly higher, while Japan, Korea and Singapore are in negative territory with modest losses.
Shanghai Composite rose 0.16 points or 0.01% to 2,105.28, Hang Seng increased by 53.8 points or 0.24% to 22,749.87, Jakarta Composite jumped 12.87 points or 0.26% to 4,885.88, KLSE Composite soared by 3.92 points or 0.21% to 1,849.29, and Taiwan Weighted was up by 19.41 points or 0.22% to 8,943.23.
On the flip side, KOSPI Composite slipped 5.94 points or 0.30% to 1,986.27, Straits Times declined by 1.81 points or 0.06% to 3,251.39 and Nikkei 225 was down by 15.74 points or 0.11% to 14,401.94.