Asian markets ended mostly in green on Wednesday, as investors awaited a Federal Reserve policy decision. China’s central bank joined its European counterpart in boosting liquidity to address weakening growth, underscoring a divergence in direction among the world’s biggest economies as the US reduces stimulus. The People’s Bank of China is injecting 500 billion yuan ($81 billion) into the nation’s largest banks signaling the deepest concern yet with an economic slowdown. The Bank of Japan is expected to maintain its ultra-easy monetary stance and could even take additional steps, notwithstanding signs that it could be reaching the limits of its power to reflate the economy. This month, Japan’s central bank bought bills at negative yields, essentially paying banks for the privilege of lending them cash.
Indonesia’s loan growth in July slowed to 15.7% on a yearly basis, compared with 17.2% in June. Loan growth has been on a slowing trend since the central bank tightened monetary policy from June to November last year by raising the benchmark interest rate 175 basis points to 7.5%. Indonesia’s broad money supply (M2) growth rose 11% in July from a year earlier.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2307.89 | 11.34 | 0.49 |
Hang Seng | 24376.41 | 240.40 | 1.00 |
Jakarta Composite | 5188.18 | 57.68 | 1.12 |
KLSE Composite | 1843.78 | -3.52 | -0.19 |
Nikkei 225 | 15888.67 | -22.86 | -0.14 |
Straits Times | 3296.48 | 23.86 | 0.73 |
KOSPI Composite | 2062.61 | 19.69 | 0.96 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9195.17 | 61.77 | 0.68 |