Asian markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday as easing US political uncertainty helped offset worries about a surge in corona virus cases globally. Japanese shares ended higher on upbeat company earnings reports and expectations of a quick global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic following encouraging developments in the corona virus vaccine too supported the rally. Pfizer Inc and BioNTech released positive interim phase III results from their Covid-19 vaccine candidate on Monday, with the results suggesting that the vaccine was 90 percent effective in preventing infection. South Korean shares closed up following upbeat trade data. South Korea's exports rose an annual 20.1 percent in the first 10 days of November on strong chip sales and solid demand from major trading partners, customs data showed. The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a three-month high in October, while the number of employed fell at the fastest pace in six months, another report revealed. Though, Chinese shares ended lower as concerns about tighter regulation over big tech firms weighed sentiments.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,342.20 | -17.95 | -0.53 |
Hang Seng | 26,226.98 | -74.50 | -0.28 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,509.51 | 46.77 | 0.86 |
KLSE Composite | 1,570.08 | -4.99 | -0.32 |
Nikkei 225 | 25,349.60 | 444.01 | 1.78 |
Straits Times | 2,713.28 | 8.28 | 0.31 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,485.87 | 33.04 | 1.35 |
Taiwan Weighted | 13,262.19 | 180.47 | 1.38 |
