Asian markets settled mostly higher on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street's gains overnight followed by better-than-expected earnings updates from top lenders. Market sentiments improved further as British inflation fell by more than expected in June and was its slowest in more than a year at 7.9%. Moreover, Japanese shares lifted by dovish comments from Bank of Japan chief Kazuo Ueda. The BoJ Kazuo Ueda said there was still some distance to sustainably and stably achieving the central bank's 2% inflation target, signalling his resolve to maintain ultra-loose monetary policy for the time being. Chinese shares ended flat on concerns over China’s economic outlook and sluggish stimulus response.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,198.84 | 1.02 | 0.03 |
Hang Seng | 18,952.31 | -63.41 | -0.33 |
Jakarta Composite | -- | -- | -- |
KLSE Composite | -- | -- | -- |
Nikkei 225 | 32,896.03 | 402.14 | 1.22 |
Straits Times | 3,275.24 | 20.98 | 0.64 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,608.24 | 0.62 | 0.02 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,116.44 | -111.47 | -0.65 |
