Asian equity markets ended mixed on Friday ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump later in the day. Investors digested a raft of Chinese economic data, dovish comments from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's speech in California about the state of the US economy. Japanese stocks though edged up as investors covered their short positions, but gains were tempered and volume was low as markets remained cautious ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Chinese stocks ended a volatile week on an upbeat note as main indexes rose after data showing faster-than-expected economic growth fuelled blue-chips, while a surge in small-caps erased most of the losses earlier in the week.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,123.14 | 21.84 | 0.70 |
Hang Seng | 22,885.91 | -164.05 | -0.71 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,254.31 | -44.64 | -0.84 |
KLSE Composite | 1,664.89 | -1.62 | -0.10 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,137.91 | 65.66 | 0.34 |
Straits Times | 3,011.08 | 2.86 | 0.10 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,065.61 | -7.18 | -0.35 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,331.46 | 13.34 | 0.14 |