Asian markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday tracking overnight Wall Street gains on the back of strong housing data and a steep drop in oil prices. Japanese shares climbed after data showed that exports grew 14.7 percent year on year and imports grew an annual 31.2 percent in March, while the yen's recent slump boosted export-oriented shares. However, Chinese shares declined after Chinese central bank surprisingly kept its benchmark lending rates steady. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.70% and the five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.60%, which markets see as Beijing’s cautious approach to rolling out more easing measures.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,151.05 | -42.98 | -1.35 |
Hang Seng | 20,944.67 | -83.09 | -0.40 |
Jakarta Composite | 7,227.36 | 28.13 | 0.39 |
KLSE Composite | 1,593.75 | 12.61 | 0.80 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,217.85 | 232.76 | 0.86 |
Straits Times | 3,335.32 | 28.19 | 0.85 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,718.69 | -0.20 | -- |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,148.88 | 155.48 | 0.91 |
