Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday as the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy statement cooled investor expectations for a rate cut and investors watched ongoing negotiations between the US and China. The manufacturing sector in South Korea moved back into expansion territory in April, the latest survey from Nikkei revealed with a manufacturing PMI score of 50.2, up from 48.8 in March. Investors shrugged off a government report showing that the total number of building permits issued in New Zealand fell a seasonally adjusted 6.9 percent month-on-month in March. Meanwhile, stock markets in Japan and China were closed for public holidays.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | - | - | - |
Hang Seng | 29,944.18 | 245.07 | 0.83 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,374.42 | -80.93 | -1.25 |
KLSE Composite | 1,632.24 | -10.05 | -0.61 |
Nikkei 225 | - | - | - |
Straits Times | 3,393.33 | -6.87 | -0.20 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,212.75 | 9.16 | 0.42 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,004.49 | 36.76 | 0.34 |
