Asian equity markets ended in green on Monday, although regional gains remained capped somewhat amid the release of regional manufacturing surveys and ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the US. US President Donald Trump will meet with Xi for the first time on April 6 and 7 at Florida resort amid heightened tensions in Asia. Trump said that the US is prepared to act along if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea's nuclear program. Japanese shares ended higher in spite of yen strength after the latest BOJ Tankan survey of manufacturing and service companies showed an improvement in corporate sentiment in the first quarter of 2017. While, the manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in March, although at a slower pace, the latest survey from Nikkei showed with a manufacturing PMI score of 52.4, down from 53.3 in February. Further, Hong Kong shares ended higher after a private survey showed China's manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace in March. Markets in China and Taiwan markets were closed for public holidays.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | - | - | - |
Hang Seng | 24,261.48 | 149.89 | 0.62 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,606.79 | 38.68 | 0.69 |
KLSE Composite | 1,745.49 | 5.40 | 0.31 |
Nikkei 225 | 18,983.23 | 73.97 | 0.39 |
Straits Times | 3,187.51 | 12.40 | 0.39 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,167.51 | 7.28 | 0.34 |
Taiwan Weighted | - | - | - |