Most of the Asian market indices are trading higher in early deals on Thursday after US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell suggested the pace of interest rate increases might slow. Investors’ sentiments were also boosted by optimism that the US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit later this week, which many are hoping would help to ease trade tensions between the two countries. The Japanese market is rising, tracking the overnight rally on Wall Street amid renewed optimism about the outlook for interest rates and despite a stronger yen. Among the other Asian markets, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Shanghai and Malaysia are higher. Bucking the trend, Hong Kong is in negative territory.
Nikkei 225 added 150.90 points or 0.68% to 22,327.92, Taiwan Weighted gained 44.75 points or 0.45% to 9,929.06, Shanghai Composite increased 7.25 points or 0.28% to 2,608.99, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI spurt 15.26 points or 0.90% to 1,701.81, Straits Times climbed 25.34 points or 0.81% to 3,119.82, Jakarta Composite improved 89.79 points or 1.48% to 6,081.04, and KOSPI Shares up by 8.10 points or 0.38% to 2,116.32.
On the flip side, Hang Seng down by 35.80 points or 0.13% to 26,646.76.
