Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Monday, tracking the gains in US shares as weaker-than-expected economic data spurred bets the Federal Reserve won’t rush to raise interest rates. The Japanese market rose on bolstered by gains in the insurance sector after Dai-ichi Life announced higher shareholder payouts. Among the other Asian markets, Japan, South Korea, Shanghai, Indonesia and Taiwan are up with modest gains. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are lower.
Nikkei 225 strengthen 128.23 points or 0.65 % to 19,861.15 , KOSPI Index surged 0.52 points or 0.02 % to 2,107.02, Taiwan Weighted increased 13.85 points or 0.14 % to 9,593.33, Jakarta Composite spurt 5.76 points or 0.11 % to 5,232.86 and Shanghai Composite was up by 1.00 points or 0.02 % to 4,309.69.
On the flip side, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI declined 0.29 points or 0.02 % to 1,811.63 ,Hang Seng contracted 205.51 points or 0.74% to 27,616.77 and Straits Times down up by 6.46 points or 0.19% to 3,456.64.