Asian markets ended mixed on Wednesday amid fresh optimism about US-China trade talks and a batch of stronger-than-expected earnings from the US helping underpin investor sentiment. Traders awaited policy decisions from the European Central bank and the US Federal Reserve to see how much and how fast policymakers might ease policy. Chinese shares ended higher after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said it was a good sign that top US officials would travel to China for reviving stalled trade talks. Japanese shares closed up as investors cheered by upbeat private sector activity data. Japan's private sector activity growth improved in July driven by the service sector, flash survey data from IHS Markit showed. The Jibun Bank flash composite output index rose to 51.2 in July from 50.8 in June.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,923.28 | 23.34 | 0.80 |
Hang Seng | 28,524.04 | 57.56 | 0.20 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,384.99 | -18.82 | -0.29 |
KLSE Composite | 1,652.41 | -3.26 | -0.20 |
Nikkei 225 | 21,709.57 | 88.69 | 0.41 |
Straits Times | 3,368.44 | -4.69 | -0.14 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,082.30 | -19.15 | -0.91 |
Taiwan Weighted | 10,935.76 | -11.50 | -0.11 |
