Asian markets ended mixed on Wednesday as investors were cautious about a possible delay in Sino-US trade deal. Investors are looking ahead to an interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve. The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) meets later today and is widely expected to cut rates by 25 basis points for the third time this year. Investors will also watch the Bank of Japan’s policy decision on Thursday, which is expected to be a close call on whether to unleash more stimulus or hold fire for now. Japanese shares ended lower as the yen rose slightly after the release of robust retails sales data showing that retail sales in Japan climbed an annual 9.1 percent in September following the 1.8 percent gain in August.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2,939.32 | -14.86 | -0.50 |
Hang Seng | 26,667.71 | -119.05 | -0.44 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,295.75 | 14.61 | 0.23 |
KLSE Composite | 1,580.00 | 2.21 | 0.14 |
Nikkei 225 | 22,843.12 | -131.01 | -0.57 |
Straits Times | 3,207.92 | 10.88 | 0.34 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,080.27 | -12.42 | -0.59 |
Taiwan Weighted | 11,380.28 | 46.41 | 0.41 |
