Asian markets settled mostly lower on Wednesday following hawkish comments from several Federal Reserve officials, including St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin and Boston Fed President Susan Collins. The officials stressed that additional interest rate hikes may be needed to control inflation, hinting at further tightening. Investors also remained cautious ahead of a high-stakes US-China summit on Thursday. However, South Korea’s Kospi rose by tracking a record-high Nasdaq index rally, while advances in AI-related stocks boosted Korean chipmakers. Meanwhile, Japanese markets were remained closed for Autumn Equinox holiday.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,936.52 | -15.61 | -0.39 |
Hang Seng | 24,834.12 | -253.63 | -1.01 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,374.91 | 97.87 | 1.54 |
KLSE Composite | 1,676.43 | -7.07 | -0.42 |
Nikkei 225 | -- | -- | -- |
Straits Times | 5,709.91 | -13.85 | -0.24 |
KOSPI Composite | 7,080.92 | 63.01 | 0.90 |
Taiwan Weighted | 48,157.29 | 357.12 | 0.75 |
