Asian equity markets ended on a mixed note on Thursday as the yen strengthened and oil prices hovered near three-month lows on growing concerns regarding oversupply. While the Federal Reserve's latest policy statement came along expected lines with no clues on the timing and pace of interest rate hikes, the risk of policy disappointment from the Bank of Japan kept investors somewhat cautious. Japanese shares led the regional losses as the yen strengthened and investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the latest policy decision from the Bank of Japan, due Friday. Meanwhile, Chinese shares closed marginally higher as rises in auto stocks and industrials offset declines in financials resulting from news of a pending crackdown on stock investments by China's massive wealth management industry.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,994.32 | 2.32 | 0.08 |
Hang Seng | 22,174.34 | -44.65 | -0.20 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,299.21 | 24.85 | 0.47 |
KLSE Composite | 1,658.50 | -5.06 | -0.30 |
Nikkei 225 | 16,476.84 | -187.98 | -1.13 |
Straits Times | 2,918.62 | -22.87 | -0.78 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,021.10 | -3.95 | -0.20 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,076.64 | 13.25 | 0.15 |