The Asian markets concluded Wednesday’s trade in green with Japan’s Nikkei share average climbing to a 1-1/2 week high after strong Chinese trade data lifted investors’ risk appetites and the Federal Reserve’s new chief signaled no change in its policies. Chinese trade data printed much stronger than expected, with a sharp gain for exports, but markets largely ignored the result. Chinese Trade Balance rose to 31.86B, from 25.60B in the preceding month. China’s exports rose 10.6% in January compared to a year earlier, accelerating from a 4.3% advance the previous month.
Japan’s Core Machinery Orders fell to -15.7% from 9.3% in the preceding month while Japan’s M2 Money Stock rose to a seasonally adjusted 4.4%, from 4.3% in the preceding month whose figure was revised up from 4.2%. South Korean Unemployment Rate rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.2%, from 3.1% in the preceding month whose figure was revised up from 3.0%.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2109.96 | 6.28 | 0.30 |
Hang Seng | 22285.79 | 322.81 | 1.47 |
Jakarta Composite | 4496.29 | 26.10 | 0.58 |
KLSE Composite | 1825.64 | 1.47 | 0.08 |
Nikkei 225 | 14800.06 | 81.72 | 0.56 |
Straits Times | 3035.45 | 6.35 | 0.21 |
KOSPI Composite | 1935.84 | 3.78 | 0.20 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8510.87 | 80.31 | 0.95 |