Asian stock markets closed mostly higher on Thursday after US markets hit record highs even as profit booking sees Dow Jones close higher by 70 points while Nasdaq closes higher by 20.
Investors booked profits amid thin holiday trading ahead of the new year. Japanese Nikkei and Korean Kospi were closed on Thursday for New Year's Eve, while other markets traded lower on light volumes. The holiday season sees lower participation as institutional investors stay on the side lines.
Chinese stocks saw rear-guard action with the Hang Seng index rising sharply yesterday. Shanghai Composite closed at 3,473.07 up 58.62 points or 1.72%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng traded 84.02 points higher while SGX Nifty was also marginally higher. Market in Taiwan also ended higher.
Markets in Australia closed lower again while markets in Jakarta and Thailand were closed.
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