Most of the Asian markets ended higher on Thursday as the dovish Fed minutes spurred more investments in to the market. Reaffirmation of Russian military troops retreating from Ukraine border also boosted investor confidence. Japan’s Nikkei ended lower followed by the sluggish export data for January month and as the adjusted trade balance marked further into deficit for the month. Moreover, accelerating domestic coronavirus infections also saddled the market. Shanghai stocks advanced on larger international investments and on anticipations over further monetary stimulus by People's Bank of China. Meanwhile, China's factory-gate inflation eased to its slowest pace in six months.
Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,468.04 | 2.21 | 0.06 |
Hang Seng | 24,792.77 | 73.87 | 0.30 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,835.12 | -15.08 | -0.22 |
KLSE Composite | 1,605.02 | 1.82 | 0.11 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,232.87 | -227.53 | -0.83 |
Straits Times | 3,441.57 | 2.27 | 0.07 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,744.09 | 14.41 | 0.53 |
Taiwan Weighted | 18,268.57 | 37.10 | 0.20 |
