Asian markets end mostly higher on Thursday

31 Jan 2019 Evaluate

Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as widely expected, and said it would be patient in lifting borrowing costs. Japanese shares ended sharply higher after the Fed sounded more dovish than expected and said risks to the outlook are roughly balanced. Further, Chinese shares ended higher even as data showed the country's manufacturing activity contracted for the second consecutive month in January. Activity in China's vast manufacturing sector continued to contract in January, albeit at a slower pace, the latest survey from the National Bureau of Statistics showed with a PMI score of 49.5. That beat expectations for a score of 49.3 and was up from 49.4 in December. The non-manufacturing index came in at 54.7, topping forecasts for 53.9 and up from 53.8 in the previous month.

Asian Indices

Last Trade           

Change in Points

Change in %

Shanghai Composite

2,584.57
8.99
0.35

Hang Seng

27,942.47
299.62
1.08

Jakarta Composite

6,532.97
68.78
1.06

KLSE Composite

1,683.53

-0.58

-0.03

Nikkei 225

20,773.49
216.95
1.06

Straits Times

3,190.17
15.79
0.50

KOSPI Composite

2,204.85
-1.35
-0.06

Taiwan Weighted

-

-

-

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