Asian equity markets ended mostly in green on Wednesday as many regional markets resumed trading after the long holiday. Higher oil prices and upbeat US consumer confidence and housing data too lent some support. Japanese shares ended on a flat note as the yen showed little reaction to mostly positive industrial production and retail sales data. While industrial output figures for November showed further signs of pick up in the world's third largest economy, retail sales rose more than expected to post a surprise 1.7 percent jump in November from a year earlier. Chinese shares ended lower, with sentiment dampened by a regulator's latest measures to put insurers' aggressive stock investments under stricter supervision. The vice chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) had reportedly said that insurers were not platforms to enrich speculators.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,102.24 | -12.43 | -0.4 |
Hang Seng | 21,754.74 | 179.98 | 0.83 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,209.45 | 106.49 | 2.09 |
KLSE Composite | 1,630.30 | 10.62 | 0.66 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,401.72 | -1.34 | -0.01 |
Straits Times | 2,898.30 | 12.54 | 0.43 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,024.49 | -17.68 | -0.87 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,201.40 | 92.13 | 1.01 |