Asian equity markets ended mostly in red on Wednesday as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision due later in the day. The Fed is widely expected to hike rates for the first time in a year at the conclusion of its meeting later Wednesday. Chinese shares ended lower after regulators pledged to restrict risky investments by insurers. Meanwhile, Japanese shares closed flat as traders processed the Bank of Japan’s quarterly tankan survey, released Wednesday. The survey showed that sentiment among large manufacturers rose to plus 10 over the three months to December from plus 6 in the previous quarter. A plus figure means the percentage of respondents saying business conditions are favorable exceeds those saying they aren’t.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,140.53 | -14.51 | -0.46 |
Hang Seng | 22,456.62 | 9.92 | 0.04 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,262.82 | -30.80 | -0.58 |
KLSE Composite | 1,643.29 | -1.99 | -0.12 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,253.61 | 3.09 | 0.02 |
Straits Times | 2,954.06 | -1.17 | -0.04 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,036.87 | 0.89 | 0.04 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,368.52 | -13.62 | -0.15 |