Asian markets ended higher on Wednesday, even as gains remained capped somewhat ahead of Chinese trade data released later in the day after regular hours on the major exchanges. Data from China's Customs Bureau offered few surprises as both exports and imports fell more than expected in June against a gloomy global economic outlook. Investors also await Chinese industrial output and GDP figures this week for further clues about the underlying direction of the world's second-largest economy. Japanese stocks got a boost from a weaker yen amid expectations that a double-bazooka of fiscal and monetary easing was on the cards after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coalition won a landslide victory in upper house elections over the weekend. Chinese stocks ended a tad higher as investors bet on further fiscal and monetary stimulus in the second half of 2016, following GDP data on Friday. The international court's stinging rejection of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea too had little impact on market sentiment. Hong Kong's shares ended higher after China's Premier Li Keqiang said its economy is ‘basically stable’ and on course to achieve the annual target of at least 6.5 percent.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,060.69 | 11.31 | 0.37 |
Hang Seng | 21,322.37 | 97.63 | 0.46 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,133.93 | 34.40 | 0.67 |
KLSE Composite | 1,660.39 | 6.42 | 0.39 |
Nikkei 225 | 16,231.43 | 135.78 | 0.84 |
Straits Times | 2,910.65 | 8.83 | 0.30 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,005.55 | 14.32 | 0.72 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8,857.75 | 16.29 | 0.18 |