Asian equity indices were exhibiting mixed trade in early deals on Tuesday as the fall in crude oil prices weighed on resource stocks and as investors tread cautiously ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement on January 28, 2015. The US Federal Reserve starts a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday and investors are keen to hear its take on the rash of policy easing from the euro zone to Canada and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Japanese market was trading higher, following the overnight gains on Wall Street and on the back of a weaker yen.
FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 1.56 points or 0.09% to 1,798.00, KOSPI Index increased 8.12 points or 0.42% to 1,943.80, Straits Times gained 19.96 points or 0.59% to 3,418.48 and Nikkei 225 was up by 221.41 points or 1.27% to 17,689.93.
On the flip side, Hang Seng decreased 190.47 points or 0.76% to 24,719.43, Shanghai Composite declined 63.51 points or 1.88% to 3,319.67, Jakarta Composite slipped 3.69 points or 0.07% to 5,256.34 and Taiwan Weighted was down by 1.91 points or 0.02% to 9,475.76.