Asian equity markets ended on a mixed note on Thursday following the lackluster cues overnight from Wall Street, due to uncertainty about President-elect Donald Trump's policies ahead of his inauguration on Friday. Federal Chair Yellen delivered hawkish comments on Wednesday, adding that the economy is approaching the Fed's dual mandate of inflation and employment. She further mentioned that the US is near full employment and with inflation figures stabilizing, there is a need for gradual Fed tightening, although she did not mention the exact timing of an interest rate hike. Chinese markets ended lower, with energy and infrastructure companies turning lower after a price correction this week and as investors remained cautious ahead of the Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, Japanese shares ended higher, lifted by the yen’s weakness, which is a boon to export manufacturers.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,101.30 | -11.71 | -0.38 |
Hang Seng | 23,049.96 | -48.30 | -0.21 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,295.28 | 0.49 | 0.01 |
KLSE Composite | 1,666.51 | 1.49 | 0.09 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,072.25 | 177.88 | 0.94 |
Straits Times | 3,008.22 | 8.00 | 0.27 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,072.79 | 2.25 | 0.11 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,318.12 | -23.85 | -0.26 |