Asian markets conclude Monday’s trade mostly in green

22 Jul 2013 Evaluate

Asian markets concluded Monday’s trade mostly in green after China removed a floor on banks’ lending rates and Japan’s ruling government regained control of the parliament’s upper house, raising hopes for further reforms in both economies. China’s Shanghai though declined in the early deals but ended the trade in green. The banking sector witnessed hectic activity after China removed controls on lending rates. People’s Bank of China’s decision to abandon a floor on the rates bank could charge on their loans marked a structural reform, but one that wouldn’t significantly affect bank earnings nor provide help to the economy. Credit ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service stated that while the removal of the lending rate marked an important step in China’s financial reforms, removal of the lending rate floor was a credit negative for banks. Separately, the average new home cost rose to a 20-week high last week in Shanghai amid strong sales of luxury properties, while overall transaction volume registered a rather insignificant rebound during the same period. The average price of new residential properties, excluding government-subsidized affordable housing, climbed 2% to 25,566 yuan ($4,137) per square meter during the seven-day period ended on Sunday. Meanwhile, new home purchases rose 7.3% week-on-week to 164,300 square meters.

Japan’s Nikkei closed in green after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition easily won a majority of the 121 seats contested in the upper house elections over the weekend. The victory gave Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s LDP control over both houses, consolidating its political power. South Korean shares made the first rise in three sessions as both foreign and institutional investors bought shares. Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite concluded the trade in red. The country’s Finance Minister Chatib Basri stated that, inflation rate is poised to peak after rising quite substantially in June and July. Basri, who last month oversaw Indonesia’s first price increase for subsidized fuel in five years as Southeast Asia’s largest economy grapples to cut energy spending. Consumer prices rose 5.9% last month from the year earlier, the fastest pace since May 2011, based on the latest data from the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Meanwhile, global finance chiefs sought to buttress the global economic recovery with pledges to avoid spooking markets as China moved to scrap a lending rule that had constrained its banks. Group of 20 nations will pursue carefully calibrated and clearly communicated policy moves so that the US and Japan don’t cause cross-border damage when they start rolling back stimulus.

Asian Indices

Last Trade

Change in Points

Change in %

Shanghai Composite

2004.76

12.11

0.61

Hang Seng

21416.50

54.08

0.25

Jakarta Composite

4678.98

-45.43

-0.96

KLSE Composite

1797.68

-0.06

0.00

Nikkei 225

14658.04

68.13

0.47

Straits Times

3234.35

21.09

0.66

KOSPI Composite

1880.35

8.94

0.48

Taiwan Weighted

8105.45

43.42

0.54

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