Asian equity indices ended in green on Tuesday, after confidence in the US housing industry climbed to the highest level in seven months and tensions eased over global political conflicts. Hong Kong shares climbed to a six-year high. South Korea sold the least inflation-linked bonds since November after the government and central bank lowered their consumer-price gain forecasts. Malaysia’s $312 billion economy expanded 6.4% in the three months through June, the fastest pace in six quarters. That was more than the 5.8% median forecast and sent the ringgit to a nine-month high against the US dollar. Singapore’s growth is trailing at 2.4%. The currency, which is used as the city-state’s key monetary policy tool, climbed 0.5% versus the greenback in the past three months, ranking it fifth among the 31 exchange rates and behind the ringgit’s 1.8% gain. The Philippines priced 140 billion pesos ($3.2 billion) of 10-year bonds in its first debt exchange in three years, allowing the nation to cut interest payments and set the stage for sustained economic growth.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2245.33 | 5.86 | 0.26 |
Hang Seng | 25122.95 | 167.49 | 0.67 |
Jakarta Composite | 5165.17 | 8.42 | 0.16 |
KLSE Composite | 1872.16 | 10.41 | 0.56 |
Nikkei 225 | 15449.79 | 127.19 | 0.83 |
Straits Times | 3316.43 | 3.65 | 0.11 |
KOSPI Composite | 2071.14 | 18.01 | 0.88 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9243.78 | 102.47 | 1.12 |