Asian equity markets ended in red on Wednesday and investors thronged to safe-haven assets such as sovereign bonds, gold, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc, as Republican Donald Trump emerged as the winner of US presidential elections, capturing crucial victories over Hillary Clinton in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The surprise outcome, defying all odds, brought significant uncertainty in terms of the overall direction of economic policy. Japanese shares plunged, the biggest single-day drop since the Brexit vote, as Trump's shocking victory over Clinton sent safe-haven assets, including the yen soaring. Further, Chinese shares dropped after data showed Chinese consumer price inflation edged up in October for a second consecutive month. China's consumer prices index rose 2.1 percent from a year ago, matching expectations and up from 1.9 percent in September, while producer prices jumped an annual 1.2 percent - again beating forecasts for a 0.9 percent increase.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,128.37 | -19.52 | -0.62 |
Hang Seng | 22,415.19 | -494.28 | -2.16 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,414.32 | -56.36 | -1.03 |
KLSE Composite | 1,647.62 | -16.20 | -0.97 |
Nikkei 225 | 16,251.54 | -919.84 | -5.36 |
Straits Times | 2,789.88 | -30.36 | -1.08 |
KOSPI Composite | 1,958.38 | -45.00 | -2.25 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8,943.20 | -274.23 | -2.98 |