Asian markets settled mostly higher on Friday amid strong gains in Wall Street shares overnight following receding fears of a global banking crisis, while US inflation data due later in the day is expected to provide additional clues on the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy path. Japanese shares gained on the back of a weaker yen, while strong readings on industrial output and retail sales for February also supported sentiments. Moreover, Chinese and Hong Kong shares gained on China's economic recovery optimism with official data showed that China's manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace in March, while China’s services and construction activity also remained strong.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,272.86 | 11.61 | 0.35 |
Hang Seng | 20,400.11 | 90.98 | 0.45 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,805.28 | -3.67 | -0.05 |
KLSE Composite | 1,422.59 | -2.02 | -0.14 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,041.48 | 258.55 | 0.92 |
Straits Times | 3,258.90 | 1.72 | 0.05 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,476.86 | 23.70 | 0.96 |
Taiwan Weighted | 15,868.06 | 18.63 | 0.12 |
