Asian markets trade mixed ahead of US Fed's monetary policy announcement

28 Jan 2026 Evaluate
Asian markets traded mixed in early deals on Wednesday, with the caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement, strong gains in tech stocks, escalating US-Iran conflicts and uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies. Investments also got trimmed ahead of China’s official January PMI release later this week. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite plunged after MSCI announced an interim freeze on its index due to inevitability and transparency issues. Bucking the trend, Hang Seng advanced for the sixth straight session and marked its highest level since July 2021.

Hang Seng surged by 678.05 points 2.50% to 27,805.00, Taiwan weighted soared by 358.14 points or 1.11% to 32,676.06, KOSPI Index jumped by 81.71 points or 1.61% to 5,166.56, and Shanghai Composite added by 11.28 points or 0.27% to 4,151.18,

On the flip side, Nikkei 225 down by 252.54 points or 0.47% to 53,081.00, Straits Times declined by 23.45 points or 0.48% to 4,899.57, Jakarta Composite tumbled by 659.01 points 7.34% to 8,321.22, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI index slipped by 12.41 points or 0.70% to 1,758.84.

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