Asian equity markets ended mixed on Wednesday as Chinese manufacturing data disappointed and investors remained focused on the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision due later in the day. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, but the accompanying statement may offer clues about the outlook for US interest rates. Traders also digested news that the Trump administration is considering more than doubling its planned tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports. Chinese shares ended lower after the release of weak data. The manufacturing sector in China continued to expand in July, albeit at a slower pace, the latest survey from Caixin revealed with a PMI score of 50.8, down from 51.0 in June. Meanwhile, Japanese shares closed higher on weaker yen and upbeat corporate earnings results from the likes of Sharp, Sony and Nintendo.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,824.21 | -52.19 | -1.85 |
Hang Seng | 28,340.74 | -242.27 | -0.85 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,033.42 | 96.98 | 1.61 |
KLSE Composite | 1,788.31 | 4.06 | 0.23 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,746.70 | 192.98 | 0.85 |
Straits Times | 3,328.95 | 9.10 | 0.27 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,307.07 | 11.81 | 0.51 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,098.13 | 40.62 | 0.37 |
