Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday with growing optimism for another strong earnings season. Japanese shares gained as the Japanese yen held near 20-year lows amid expectations the Bank of Japan will lag its peers including the US Federal Reserve in normalizing monetary policy. However, Chinese shares ended down on worries about sharp economic slowdown after recent policy measures fall short of market expectations.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,079.81 | -71.24 | -2.26 |
Hang Seng | 20,682.22 | -262.45 | -1.25 |
Jakarta Composite | 7,276.19 | 48.83 | 0.68 |
KLSE Composite | 1,598.32 | 4.57 | 0.29 |
Nikkei 225 | 27,553.06 | 335.21 | 1.23 |
Straits Times | 3,348.46 | 13.14 | 0.39 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,728.21 | 9.52 | 0.35 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,127.95 | -20.93 | -0.12 |