Asian equity markets ended mostly in red on Wednesday as the markets awaited the Federal Reserve's decision on monetary policy in the US. The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates, with markets looking for details regarding the reduction of the central bank's massive balance sheet. Japanese shares closed slightly lower as investors stayed away from making bets ahead of the Fed's interest-rate decision due later today, the Bank of England meeting on Thursday and the BoJ's two-day policy review ending on Friday. Chinese shares lost ground as reports alleging a probe of the head of financial conglomerate Anbang Insurance Group overshadowed positive data showing signs of stabilization in the world's second-largest economy. Chinese factory output grew an annual 6.5 percent in May to beat forecasts and retail sales advanced 10.7 percent, while fixed-asset investment growth moderated in the first five months, official data showed.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,130.67 | -23.07 | -0.73 |
Hang Seng | 25,875.90 | 23.80 | 0.09 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,792.90 | 85.25 | 1.49 |
KLSE Composite | 1,792.35 | 7.91 | 0.44 |
Nikkei 225 | 19,883.52 | -15.23 | -0.08 |
Straits Times | 3,253.43 | -4.09 | -0.13 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,372.64 | -2.06 | -0.09 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,072.46 | -55.69 | -0.55 |