All Asian equity indices ended day’s trade in the negative terrain on Wednesday after the minutes from US Federal Reserve’s March meeting reduced expectations of further stimulus measures to spur growth, leaving investors looking for more clues to the global economic outlook. Japanese Nikkei share average shed 2.3 percent on Wednesday in its worst performance in five months, after stop-losses were triggered on index futures, raising concern that Tokyo’s sharp equities rally so far this year could be grinding to a halt. While, Seoul shares dropped 1.5 percent after posting an eight-month closing high in the previous session, tracking declines in global peers.
Meanwhile, markets in mainland China and Hong Kong remained closed on Wednesday on account of Qingming Festival while the Taiwanese markets were shut owing to Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Jakarta Composite | 4,134.04 | -81.41 | -1.93 |
KLSE Composite | 1,599.27 | -7.36 | -0.46 |
Nikkei 225 | 9,819.99 | -230.40 | -2.29 |
Straits Times | 2,985.04 | -29.94 | -0.99 |
Seoul Composite | 2,018.61 | -30.67 | -1.50 |
Hang Seng | -- | -- | -- |
Taiwan Weighted | -- | -- | -- |
Shanghai Composite | -- | -- | -- |