Asian markets settled mostly higher on Monday tracking Wall Street gains last Friday after the US Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of inflation rose slightly less than anticipated in February, boosting optimism the US Fed might hold off on raising interest rates at its next meeting in early May. Chinese and Hong Kong shares gained after Beijing launched a cybersecurity probe into US memory chip maker Micron Technology, despite a private survey showed China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly eased in March. Japanese shares rose, despite signs of worsening business sentiment in the first quarter of this year among big Japanese manufacturers. Although, a sharp rise in crude oil prices on the back of surprise output cuts announced by OPEC+ nations stoked investor concerns around potential resurgence in inflation globally.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,296.40 | 23.54 | 0.71 |
Hang Seng | 20,409.18 | 9.07 | 0.04 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,827.18 | 21.90 | 0.32 |
KLSE Composite | 1,433.39 | 10.80 | 0.76 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,188.15 | 146.67 | 0.52 |
Straits Times | 3,281.08 | 22.18 | 0.68 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,472.34 | -4.52 | -0.18 |
Taiwan Weighted | -- | -- | -- |
