The Asian markets made mostly a lower closing on Wednesday, the mood in the regional markets remained cautious since beginning as geopolitical worries resurfaced in the Middle East and commodity prices weakened after the release of Chinese trade data. Chinese markets too gave up earlier gains to end on a flat note as traders digested mixed trade data. Chinese exports climbed an annual 6.9 percent in dollar terms, while the Imports surged 17.2 percent from a year ago to beat estimates, leaving a trade surplus of $38.2 billion for the month. Japanese market ended lower as escalating tensions between OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Iran helped spur demand for yen.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,414.91 | 1.33 | 0.04 |
Hang Seng | 28,907.60 | -86.74 | -0.30 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,049.38 | -11.07 | -0.18 |
KLSE Composite | 1,744.20 | -6.74 | -0.38 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,913.82 | -23.78 | -0.10 |
Straits Times | 3,421.25 | 8.15 | 0.24 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,552.40 | 6.96 | 0.27 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,818.99 | -21.35 | -0.20 |