Most Asian markets ended lower Thursday, giving up gains from the previous session. Japan's Nikkei 225 finished down 2.4% as exporters were hit by the stronger yen. Other major indexes including China's Shanghai Composite, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and South Korea's Kospi ended with rather small changes as investors were not confident to the economic outlook and waiting for a clear picture.
Yesterday, the Australian market ended marginally lower as investors were encouraged by the Wall Street rallies. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended the day down 0.3%, or 8.9 points, at 3235.5. The broader All Ordinaries index was also down 0.3%, or 8.7 points, at 3190.4. "Many investors have feared worst, and many are probably predicting companies such as GM would eventually be gone, and are already prepared for it," says Thomas Su, Research Director of Money Cat Consulting. It may be too early to predict, but it seems the financial stocks may start leading the gain in the second half of the year, Thomas Su added.
On Wednesday Tokyo and Hong Kong markets bounced 4 per cent respectively in the morning following Wall Street's hefty overnight rally. Taiwan stocks rose 2.04 percent to a two-month high led by financial stocks after Citigroup said it turned profitable in the first two months in 2009.
Yesterday the Australian market struggled for direction early on but then found its feet later in the session to close higher, according to CMC Markets. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 30 points, or 0.95 per cent, at 3,184.5, while the broader All Ordinaries rose 21.5 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 3,143.2.
Most Asian markets ended lower on Friday, following the massive slump on Wall Street in previous trading session. Investors also remained cautious before a key U.S. report on the jobs market. In major indexes, Japan's Nikkei 225 Average saw a biggest fall of 3.5%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended down 2.4%, while Shanghai Composite fell 1.3%.
Asian shares ended mixed Thursday. The Shanghai Composite index was up 1.0%, but in Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.0%. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.1%, reversing early gains, and Japan's Nikkei 225 Average ended up 2.0%.
Yesterday the Australian market closed higher led by resources sector as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the Chinese government will increase spending to boost the economy and achieve an 8% growth target this year. It raised the expectations that China's stimulus measures will prompt the demand for resources. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 22.1 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 3,188.5, while the broader All Ordinaries index rose 22.9 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 3,148.8.
