Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Wednesday, as Japan's weak export figures boosted hopes for more central bank stimulus. However, gains are muted in most markets as investors treaded cautiously following the release of mixed corporate earnings results. Meanwhile, the Japanese market is advancing, with a weaker yen boosting exporters' stocks. Banks are also among the leading gainers. Investors shrugged off weak Japanese trade data for the month of September. Among the other Asian markets, Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are in positive territory. Bucking the trend, Taiwan is marginally lower and the markets in Hong Kong are closed on Wednesday in observance of the Chung Yeung Festival.
Nikkei 225 added 229.88 points or 1.26% to 18,437.03, Shanghai Composite surged 13.45 points or 0.39% to 3,438.78, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI gained 3.78 points or 0.22% to 1,708.81, Straits Times increased 12.36 points or 0.41% to 3,031.39, Jakarta Composite jumped 55.83 points or 1.22% to 4,641.66 and KOSPI Index was up by 6.35 points or 0.31% to 2,045.71.
On the flip side, Taiwan Weighted was down by 37.40 points or 0.43% to 8,616.20.