Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday as investors were cautious ahead of the release of the US Labor Department's closely watched monthly jobs report on Friday, which is crucial for the US Federal Reserve's tapering timeline. Chinese stocks ended higher as investors hoped Chinese soft economic data could lead to roll out further stimulus measures. China's Central Bank (PBoC) said it would provide CNY300 billion ($46.41 billion) of low-cost funding to support small-and medium-sized firms. Moreover, Japanese shares gained despite worries about unprecedented spread of the delta variant of the corona-virus.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,597.04 | 29.94 | 0.84 |
Hang Seng | 26,090.43 | 62.14 | 0.24 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,078.23 | -12.70 | -0.21 |
KLSE Composite | 1,582.19 | -4.70 | -0.30 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,543.51 | 92.49 | 0.33 |
Straits Times | 3,088.84 | 1.00 | 0.03 |
KOSPI Composite | 3,175.85 | -31.17 | -0.97 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,319.76 | -154.23 | -0.88 |
