Asian markets ended mixed note on Thursday ahead of US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at Fed's annual symposium at Jackson Hole for clues on the timing of a tapering of monetary stimulus. Seoul stocks declined as the country’s central bank Bank of Korea delivered its first pandemic-era rate hike to control inflation and household debt. Further, Japanese shares ended down following concerns of slowing economic growth in line with spread of highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, while foreign investors sold Japanese shares worth a net 707.3 billion yen ($6.43 billion), the biggest since the week to May 14. However, some losses were capped by continued optimism about growth in the world’s largest economy after Dr. Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert, said Covid-19 could be under control by early next year.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,501.66 | -38.72 | -1.09 |
Hang Seng | 25,415.69 | -278.26 | -1.08 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,058.08 | -55.16 | -0.90 |
KLSE Composite | 1,585.74 | 15.94 | 1.02 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,742.29 | 17.49 | 0.06 |
Straits Times | 3,109.42 | 1.93 | 0.06 |
KOSPI Composite | 3,128.53 | -18.28 | -0.58 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,066.96 | 21.10 | 0.12 |
