Asian markets ended mostly lower on Tuesday with caution ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting on Wednesday. Investors will pay close attention to comments from Chairman Jerome Powell for directional cues. Further, concerns over surging Covid-19 cases in emerging economies including India, Japan and Brazil dented expectations for a swift global economic recovery from the pandemic. Japanese shares ended lower amid a slew of corporate earnings failed to meet investor expectations, while the Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept its monetary stimulus steady as widely expected. However, Chinese shares ended almost flat despite official data showed profits at China's industrial firms nearly doubled in March from a year ago.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,442.61 | 1.44 | 0.04 |
Hang Seng | 28,941.54 | -11.29 | -0.04 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,959.62 | -5.20 | -0.09 |
KLSE Composite | 1,606.68 | -16.79 | -1.03 |
Nikkei 225 | 28,991.89 | -134.34 | -0.46 |
Straits Times | 3,214.43 | 9.53 | 0.30 |
KOSPI Composite | 3,215.42 | -2.11 | -0.07 |
Taiwan Weighted | 17,595.90 | 23.61 | 0.13 |