The Asian indices ended mostly in green on Friday, buoyed by news of an agreement to bring an end to Ukraine’s 10-month conflict and on hopes Greece would reach a deal to restructure its debt. The Indonesian rupiah may depreciate to a level that has not been seen since the 1998 Asian financial crisis by the end of this year, as investors may reduce inflow to the Southeast Asian country in line with United States’ economy regaining strength. Inflation in Japan is forecast to slow further in coming quarters pressured by the collapse in crude oil prices, but the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is set to sit tight for now as it assesses the broad impact of the oil slump on consumption and prices. BOJ is expected to embark on more stimulus later this year, to top up its latest round launched in October, to support economic growth and safeguard its 2% inflation target. Singaporean Retail Sales fell to a seasonally adjusted 2.6%, from 6.6% in the preceding month whose figure was revised up from 6.5%.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,203.83 | 30.41 | 0.96 |
Hang Seng | 24,682.54 | 260.39 | 1.07 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,374.16 | 30.75 | 0.58 |
KLSE Composite | 1,800.95 | 11.88 | 0.66 |
Nikkei 225 | 17,913.36 | -66.36 | -0.37 |
Straits Times | 3,426.22 | 7.05 | 0.21 |
KOSPI Composite | 1,957.50 | 15.87 | 0.82 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,529.51 | 33.20 | 0.35 |