Asian equity markets ended higher on Thursday as oil prices rebounded from four-month lows and US private-sector hiring data showed the labor market was holding up despite slowing in small business hiring. Traders eyed a Bank of England meeting later in the day amid expectations the central bank will cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 in a bid to ward off a recession. Chinese shares closed marginally higher after the People's Bank of China reiterated it would continue its prudent monetary policy in the second half of the year and fine-tune it as necessary. Further, Japanese shares ended a volatile session sharply higher as the yen failed to maintain earlier gains on comments by Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Kikuo Iwata that the central bank hasn't set a future direction for policy.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,982.43 | 3.97 | 0.13 |
Hang Seng | 21,832.23 | 93.11 | 0.43 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,373.86 | 21.98 | 0.41 |
KLSE Composite | 1,655.29 | 6.79 | 0.41 |
Nikkei 225 | 16,254.89 | 171.78 | 1.07 |
Straits Times | 2,831.96 | 4.38 | 0.15 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,000.03 | 5.24 | 0.26 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,024.71 | 23.00 | 0.26 |