Asian equity markets ended mixed on Wednesday, as solid earnings results, a pause in the yen rally and signs that the Chinese government was extending steps to defuse potential credit bubbles helped offset investor concerns over political risks in Europe and the United States. Chinese shares closed higher, led by financial shares, even as weak forex reserves data highlighted the challenges faced by Beijing in curbing capital outflows. While China's foreign exchange reserves unexpectedly fell below the closely watched $3 trillion in January for the first time in almost six years, the fall in reserves was much smaller than in the same period of last year and December. Japanese shares ended higher, a day after it hit a two-week low. While the dollar remained choppy against the yen, though expectations surrounding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States from Thursday offered some support.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,166.98 | 13.89 | 0.44 |
Hang Seng | 23,485.13 | 153.56 | 0.66 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,361.09 | -20.39 | -0.38 |
KLSE Composite | 1,688.50 | -0.34 | -0.02 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,007.60 | 96.82 | 0.51 |
Straits Times | 3,066.53 | -5.11 | -0.17 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,065.08 | -10.13 | -0.49 |
Taiwan Weighted | 9,543.25 | -11.31 | -0.12 |