Asian markets settled mostly lower on Wednesday as investors awaited minutes from the US Federal Reserve's December meeting later in the day, which could offer clues to the Fed's future actions. Japanese shares dropped as traders returned to their desks after a long holiday weekend for the New Year, while Japan’s currency yen advanced with fears that the BoJ might move away from its ultra-easy monetary policy. However, Chinese shares rose on the back of the expectations of swift post-covid recovery in the economy. Hong Kong shares gained after China’s property developers surged following forecast beating December sales and news that Chinese officials were considering further support for property developers. Meanwhile, shares in Hong Kong listed Alibaba Group Holdings jumped as much as 8% following news that Ant Group Co., in which the e-commerce giant holds a stake, won approval to raise $1.5 billion for its consumer unit.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,123.52 | 7.01 | 0.22 |
Hang Seng | 20,793.11 | 647.82 | 3.22 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,813.24 | -75.52 | -1.10 |
KLSE Composite | 1,469.55 | -4.44 | -0.30 |
Nikkei 225 | 25,716.86 | -377.64 | -1.45 |
Straits Times | 3,242.46 | -3.34 | -0.10 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,255.98 | 37.30 | 1.68 |
Taiwan Weighted | 14,199.13 | -24.99 | -0.18 |
