Asian markets ended higher on Friday after UK lawmakers backed delaying the Brexit process and Chinese Premier pledged support for the slowing economy during his annual news conference at the end of the National People's Congress. Chinese shares ended higher as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the country could use reserve requirements and interest rates to prevent a sharper deceleration in the world's second-largest economy. Further, Japanese shares ended higher after the Bank of Japan left its monetary stimulus program unchanged, as widely expected, but offered a relatively weak assessment of the economy.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,021.75 | 31.06 | 1.04 |
Hang Seng | 29,012.26 | 160.87 | 0.56 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,461.18 | 47.91 | 0.75 |
KLSE Composite | 1,680.54 | 6.02 | 0.36 |
Nikkei 225 | 21,450.85 | 163.83 | 0.77 |
Straits Times | 3,200.18 | 2.26 | 0.07 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,176.11 | 20.43 | 0.95 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,439.24 | 90.59 | 0.88 |