Asian equity markets ended mixed on Wednesday, as a firmer yen and steep overnight losses in the US and European markets following the latest IMF warning on global growth prospects and weak Eurozone data offset support from a rebound in oil prices. Chinese shares edged lower even as a private survey showed business activity in China's service sector rose slightly in March amid stronger demand on the back of supportive measures. The Caixin China services purchasing managers' index rose to 52.2 from 51.2 in February, but the employment sub-component pointed to contraction for the first time in over 2.5 years. Japanese shares ended slightly lower, marking its longest losing streak since the start of ‘Abenomics’, as the yen hovered near a 17-month high versus the dollar. However, Hong Kong stocks ended slightly higher, with energy firms boosted by a bounce in the price of oil.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,050.59 | -2.47 | -0.08 |
| Hang Seng | 20,206.67 | 29.67 | 0.15 |
| Jakarta Composite | 4,868.23 | 10.16 | 0.21 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,717.01 | -1.07 | -0.06 |
| Nikkei 225 | 15,715.36 | -17.46 | -0.11 |
| Straits Times | 2,811.25 | 10.33 | 0.37 |
| KOSPI Composite | 1,971.32 | 8.58 | 0.44 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 8,513.30 | -144.25 | -1.67 |