The Asian markets barring Shanghai Composite and Taiwan Weighted concluded Friday’s trade in green. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to raise the consumption tax for the second time in Japanese history in order to cut the debt and to pay for a possible easing of the corporate tax at some point down the road. Japan’s retail sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.6%, from 4.4% in the preceding month while Japanese Household Spending fell to a seasonally adjusted -2.5%, from 1.1% in the preceding month. Japan’s National Core CPI remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 1.3%, from 1.3% in the preceding month while Tokyo’s core CPI, which excludes fresh food costs rose to at an annualized rate of 1.0%, from 0.9% in the preceding month. The total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment during the previous month in Japan fell to a seasonally adjusted 3.6%, from 3.7% in the preceding month. South Korean industrial production fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of -1.8%, from -0.1% in the preceding month whose figure was revised down from 0.1%. South Korean Retail Sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of -3.2%, from 2.4% in the preceding month.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 2041.71 | -4.88 | -0.24 |
Hang Seng | 22065.53 | 231.08 | 1.06 |
Jakarta Composite | 4768.28 | 45.22 | 0.96 |
KLSE Composite | 1850.73 | 3.86 | 0.21 |
Nikkei 225 | 14696.03 | 73.14 | 0.50 |
Straits Times | 3172.17 | 9.71 | 0.31 |
KOSPI Composite | 1981.00 | 3.03 | 0.15 |
Taiwan Weighted | 8774.64 | -4.93 | -0.06 |