Asian equity markets closed mostly higher on Tuesday. Chinese shares ended higher, aided by gains in real estate and energy firms, while the market response to the country’s manufacturing data has been relatively muted. A gauge of China's manufacturing activity slid to 51.2 in July from 51.5 a month ago while analysts expected it to ease marginally to 51.3. The non-manufacturing PMI dropped to 54.0 from 55 in June. Japanese shares ended slightly higher amid economic data proving to be a mixed bag. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan kept its monetary policy steady, as widely expected, but announced policy tweaks to make its policy framework more flexible for the long-term yield target. Meanwhile, traders also awaited cues from the Federal Reserve and Bank of England policy meetings due this week. The Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement is due on Wednesday, with traders likely to keep a close eye on the accompanying statement for clues about the outlook for rates. The Bank of England is widely expected to increase rates by a quarter point when it concludes its policy meeting on Thursday.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,876.40 | 7.35 | 0.26 |
Hang Seng | 28,583.01 | -150.12 | -0.53 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,936.44 | -91.50 | -1.54 |
KLSE Composite | 1,784.25 | 13.99 | 0.79 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,553.72 | 8.88 | 0.04 |
Straits Times | 3,319.85 | 12.70 | 0.38 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,295.26 | 1.75 | 0.08 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,057.51 | 23.97 | 0.22 |
