The Asian equity benchmarks ended mostly in green on Friday, with Japanese stocks rising for a second day on speculation that central banks will support growth. China’s annual consumer inflation hovered at a near five-year low of 1.5% in December, signaling persistent weakness in the economy but giving policymakers more room to ease policy to support growth. The world’s second-largest economy still faces formidable headwinds this year as a property market downturn persists and local governments and companies are struggling to repay debt. The consumer price index rose 0.3% in December from November while, the producer price index in December declined 3.3% from a year earlier, its 34th consecutive monthly decline and the biggest decline since September 2012, as sluggish demand curbed the pricing power of companies. Japan’s index of leading economic indicators rose to a seasonally adjusted 103.8, from 104.5 in the preceding month whose figure was revised up from 104.0.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,285.41 | -8.04 | -0.24 |
Hang Seng | 23,919.95 | 84.42 | 0.35 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,216.66 | 4.84 | 0.09 |
KLSE Composite | 1,732.44 | 4.38 | 0.25 |
Nikkei 225 | 17,197.73 | 30.63 | 0.18 |
Straits Times | 3,338.44 | -6.67 | -0.20 |
KOSPI Composite | 1,924.70 | 20.05 | 1.05 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,215.58 | -22.45 | -0.24 |