Asian markets ended mostly lower on Wednesday as investors awaited the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's June meeting for more clues on the US central bank's monetary policy outlook. Japanese shares ended down with worries over a resurgence of Covid-19 infections ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, while yen's firmness against the US dollar also weighed on markets. South Korean shares ended lower as the country reported its second-highest number of daily new Covid-19 cases ever. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government would consider tougher social distancing rules if transmissions continued to grow over the next couple of days. However, Chinese shares ended higher after Beijing stepped up supervision of Chinese firms listed overseas.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,553.72 | 23.46 | 0.66 |
Hang Seng | 27,960.62 | -112.24 | -0.40 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,044.04 | -3.07 | -0.05 |
KLSE Composite | 1,530.15 | -1.48 | -0.10 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,366.95 | -276.26 | -0.96 |
Straits Times | 3,141.60 | -48.99 | -1.54 |
KOSPI Composite | 3,285.34 | -19.87 | -0.60 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,850.69 | -62.38 | -0.35 |
