Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday

30 Oct 2014 Evaluate

Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday, with Japanese stocks extending yesterday’s gain, as the yen fell after the Federal Reserve stated that it would end its bond-buying program. Indonesia’s central bank has instructed private firms to hedge more of their foreign debt to limit growth of offshore borrowings and reduce risks to the rupiah. Indonesia’s top fund managers have boosted cash holdings to the highest levels in three months amid concern President Joko Widodo will fail to push through policies to revive growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. South Korean Industrial Production rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of -1.9%, from -2.8% in the preceding month. The World Bank has warned that China’s current focus on meeting official growth target will hinder its reform to rebalance growth toward a more sustainable model. The bank acknowledged China has made progress this year in implementing reforms to restructure its economy, but challenges remain. China’s consumer sentiment tumbled to a three-year low in October as consumers downgraded their outlook on employment, housing and personal finances, a private report showed. The Westpac MNI China Consumer Sentiment Index fell 2% to 110.9 in October from 113.2 in September.

Asian Indices	Last Trade	Change in Points	Change in %
Shanghai Composite	2391.08	18.05	0.76
Hang Seng	23,702.04	-117.83	-0.49
Jakarta Composite	5058.85	-15.21	-0.30
KLSE Composite	1842.78	3.23	0.18
Nikkei 225	15,658.20	104.29	0.67
Straits Times	3234.31	10.28	0.32
KOSPI Composite	1958.93	-2.24	-0.11
Taiwan Weighted	8888.07	-15.61	-0.18