Asian markets settled mostly down on Wednesday amid concerns over US President Donald Trump's tariff plans and Russia-Ukraine negotiations, while market participants are awaiting US Federal Reserve's January meeting minutes for more cues on Fed's interest rate trajectory. Japanese shares declined after the release of mixed economic data, with core machinery orders, a key indicator of capital spending, unexpectedly declined in December, while exports rose 7.2% year-on-year in January. Although, Chinese shares gained, despite comments from Trump that the US may impose tariffs of around 25% on pharmaceutical, automobile, and semiconductor imports.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,351.54 | 27.05 | 0.81 |
Hang Seng | 22,944.24 | -32.57 | -0.14 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,794.87 | -78.68 | -1.16 |
KLSE Composite | 1,580.88 | -3.96 | -0.25 |
Nikkei 225 | 39,164.61 | -105.79 | -0.27 |
Straits Times | 3,934.04 | 8.48 | 0.22 |
KOSPI Composite | 2,671.52 | 44.71 | 1.67 |
Taiwan Weighted | 23,604.08 | -62.03 | -0.26 |
