The Asian markets made mostly a positive close on Thursday following global upmove in equities. A surge in crude oil supported commodity stocks leading to rally in the equity markets. Traders also took comfort with Australia reporting that 37,700 jobs were added month-on-month in March, more than double the 15,000 expected. Chinese market surged over two and half a percent to hit fresh seven-year highs, after a report that foreign direct investment (FDI) in China rose 2.2 percent on the year in March, while outbound flows posted a milder rise, as foreign corporate investors remain undeterred by weakening domestic economic performance. Foreign direct investment into China rose 11.3 percent year-on-year to $34.88 billion in the first quarter. Outbound investment for the first three months of the year combined rose 29.6 percent from the same period in 2014 to $25.79. While, Chinese and Hong Kong shares continued their upward momentum, Japanese shares ended on a flat note with a positive bias.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 4,194.82 | 110.66 | 2.71 |
Hang Seng | 27,739.71 | 120.89 | 0.44 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,420.73 | 6.19 | 0.11 |
KLSE Composite | 1,847.94 | 7.81 | 0.42 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,885.77 | 16.01 | 0.08 |
Straits Times | 3,531.61 | -8.34 | -0.24 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,139.90 | 19.94 | 0.94 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,656.87 | 116.81 | 1.22 |