Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday, with Seoul shares gained following Wall Street gains overnight after US Fed Chair Jerome Powell signalled in testimony to a House of Representatives that the US Fed is on track to cut interest rates at some point this year but officials need greater confidence inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%. Japanese shares declined heavily as the Japanese currency yen hit a one-month high on growing speculation that the Bank of Japan could end negative interest rates this month. Chinese and Hong Kong shares dropped, despite better-than-expected trade data for the first two months of 2024. In January to February period China’s exports registered an annual increase of 7.1% and imports grew 3.5%, resulting in a trade surplus of $125.16 billion for the period.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,027.40 | -12.53 | -0.41 |
| Hang Seng | 16,229.78 | -208.31 | -1.28 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,373.96 | 44.16 | 0.60 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,535.83 | 4.32 | 0.28 |
| Nikkei 225 | 39,598.71 | -492.07 | -1.24 |
| Straits Times | 3,133.78 | -2.36 | -0.08 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,647.62 | 6.13 | 0.23 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 19,693.52 | 194.07 | 0.99 |
