The Asian equity benchmarks ended mostly in green on Wednesday, as Chinese stocks rallied, capping the best year for the benchmark index since 2009. Markets in Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia are shut today for holidays. Activity in China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December, highlighting the urgency behind a series of surprise easing moves by Beijing in the past two months. The weak performance will add to the debate over whether Beijing needs to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper economic slowdown or fast-track market reforms to stimulate demand - or both. The report puts a final sluggish stamp on what has been a surprisingly grim fourth quarter for the world’s second-largest economy, which is expected to grow at its slowest pace this year in nearly a quarter of a century. The final HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for December came in at 49.6, just below the 50.0 level that separates growth from contraction. South Korean CPI remained unchanged at 0.0%.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,234.68 | 68.86 | 2.18 |
Hang Seng | 23,605.44 | 103.94 | 0.44 |
Jakarta Composite | - | - | - |
KLSE Composite | 1,761.25 | -5.58 | -0.32 |
Nikkei 225 | - | - | - |
Straits Times | 3,365.15 | -0.96 | -0.03 |
KOSPI Composite | - | - | - |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,307.26 | 38.83 | 0.42 |