Asian markets end higher on Thursday

18 Mar 2021 Evaluate

Asian markets ended higher on Thursday, tracking gains in US stocks overnight after the US Federal Reserve committed to maintaining accommodative monetary policy and projected the US economy to grow 6.5 percent this year as the corona-virus crisis eases. Meanwhile, inflation is expected to reach 2.4 percent this year above the central bank’s 2 percent target, US Federal Chairman Jerome Powell called it’s a temporary surge that will not change the Fed’s pledge to keep its benchmark overnight interest rate near zero as part of an effort to ensure the economic wounds from the corona-virus pandemic are fully healed. Japanese shares ended sharply higher, while the Japanese Yen perked up after reports suggested that the Bank of Japan will agree to allow yields to trade in a wider band when it ends a two-day policy meeting on Friday.

Asian Indices

Last Trade           

Change in Points

Change in %

Shanghai Composite

3,463.07
17.52
0.51

Hang Seng

29,405.72
371.60
1.28

Jakarta Composite

6,347.83
70.60
1.12

KLSE Composite

1,627.99

3.02

0.19

Nikkei 225

30,216.75
302.42
1.01

Straits Times

3,137.66
28.01
0.90

KOSPI Composite

3,066.01
18.51
0.61

Taiwan Weighted

16,287.84
72.02
0.44

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