Asian equity markets ended mixed on Tuesday as trade-war worries persisted and investors waited for cues from the new Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's first policy meeting starting later in the day, with the central bank widely expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points. Sentiment was also dampened after Facebook shares suffered the biggest one-day drop in four years overnight amid allegations that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica inappropriately obtained and used the social media giant's user data. Chinese shares ended higher as China's legislature nominated Yi Gang, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China, as its new chief. Further, Japanese shares ended lower as domestic tech stocks tracked US counterparts' declines on Wall Street. Many investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a Japanese public holiday and the two-day Fed meeting expected to produce a rate hike.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,290.64 | 11.39 | 0.35 |
Hang Seng | 31,549.93 | 36.17 | 0.11 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,243.58 | -45.99 | -0.73 |
KLSE Composite | 1,856.39 | 8.45 | 0.46 |
Nikkei 225 | 21,380.97 | -99.93 | -0.47 |
Straits Times | 3,513.31 | 15.02 | 0.43 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,485.52 | 10.49 | 0.42 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,010.84 | -36.06 | -0.33 |
