Asian equities halt downtrend; encouraging US economic data supports

16 Dec 2011 Evaluate

After three straight sessions of sell-off, Asian equity indices are showing some signs of recovery on Friday trades as all benchmarks in the region are trading in green zone. Sentiments in the region got a lift tracking the overnight positive close on Wall Street. Market participants overlooked the gloomy European developments as the encouraging US economic reports came into limelight, pushing stocks higher. Sentiments got a lift after a cheering US jobs data showed that jobless claims dropped sharply while an index measuring regional manufacturing jumped to the highest level since May. However, gains for most indices in the region were less pronounced amid concerns over the Euro-zone debt crisis.

The benchmark in Indonesia snapping a three-day losing streak surged by over a percent on the back of optimistic global cues and was the top gainer in the space. Japanese bourses too remained in the optimistic mood and traded with over half a percent gains.

Shanghai Composite inched up 0.32 points or 0.01% to 2,181.22, Hang Seng climbed 109.39 points or 0.61% to 18,136.23, Jakarta Composite surged 47.46 points or 1.28% to 3,749.00, Nikkei 225 advanced 47.87 points or 0.57% to 8,425.24, Straits Times gained 10.08 points or 0.38% to 2,645.33, Seoul Composite ascended 14.64 points or 0.80% to 1,833.75 and Taiwan Weighted added 28.70 points or 0.42% to 6,793.29.

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