Asian markets conclude Thursday’s trade in red

12 Dec 2013 Evaluate

The Asian markets concluded Thursday’s trade in red as fears that the US Federal Reserve could soon start to cut its bond-buying program weighed further on regional sentiment. According to an assessment by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), economic growth among five Southeast Asian nations, known as Asean-5, is forecast to slow this year and in 2014 due in part to the impact of the recent natural disaster in the Philippines. The ADB did not give any revisions on economic growth for individual countries within the Asean-5, which includes Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. ADB stated that the Southeast Asia sub-region is expected to post growth of 4.8% this year and 5.2% next year. Both forecasts were revised down by 0.1% points from October.

South Korea’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.5%, standing pat for a seventh straight month amid a tentative economic recovery. Latest data shows that South Korea’s exports grew just 0.2% in November in a sign of uncertainty about the recovery for a country that is home to big-name auto makers, cell phone manufacturers and shipbuilders. South Korea’s headline inflation rate stayed below 1% in November--far below the BOK’s target band of 2.5%-3.5%. But the government predicts inflation will rise to 2%-2.5% in 2014, arguing for a rate increase or other policy tightening.

Bank Indonesia held the reference rate at 7.5% and has also kept the deposit facility rate at 5.75%. Southeast Asia’s largest economy had a record current-account deficit of 4.4% of gross domestic product in the second quarter and the gap in the broadest measure of trade narrowed to 3.8% in the following three months. Bank Indonesia is targeting a shortfall of less than 3% in 2014.

Asian Indices

Last Trade

Change in Points

Change in %

Shanghai Composite

2202.80

-1.37

-0.06

Hang Seng

23218.12

-120.12

-0.51

Jakarta Composite

4212.22

-59.53

-1.39

KLSE Composite

1833.87

-8.95

-0.49

Nikkei 225

15341.82

-173.24

-1.12

Straits Times

3059.04

-1.70

-0.06

KOSPI Composite

1967.93

-10.04

-0.51

Taiwan Weighted

8361.33

-72.44

-0.86

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