Asia Pacific shares were closed slight higher in quite trade on
Wednesday, 18 December 2013, as value buying was seen by the
participants following steep selloff in recent sessions. However, gains
remained capped ahead of highly anticipated decision on monetary policy
from the United States Federal Reserve.
Turnover across the Asian region was relatively light as investors elected to remain on the sidelines until the US Federal Reserve delivers the outcome of its two day policy meeting scheduled later in the global day.
The market participants are waiting for the FOMC outcome for a roadmap and greater certainty of how the Fed will deal with the process of reducing stimulus. A recent spate of strong U.S. economic data has led some to believe the Fed could start rolling back its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program this month, although many also believe the central bank could wait until early next year -- March at the latest. If the US Federal Reserve does start the long process of withdrawing artificial liquidity this month, the key risk is a sharp spike in long-dated US bond yields. But, if the taper is delayed, bond yields will be driven lower pushing equity markets higher in the very short run.
Among Asian bourses, Japanese financial market advanced, as investors cheered upbeat merchandise exports data along with firming up the US dollar against the yen. The benchmark Nikkei Stocks Average advanced 309.17 points to 15587.80, while the broader Topix index rose 18.18 points to 1250.49.
The Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday that Japanese merchandise exports rose 18.4% from a year earlier to 5.901 trillion yen in November 2013, the ninth straight month of increase, as manufacturers benefit from the yen-weakening impact of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pro-growth strategies. Meanwhile, imports soared 21.1% to 7.19 trillion yen, owing to Japans' hefty bills for oil and gas purchases. Resulting, the trade deficit was 1.29 trillion yen in November 2013, up by 35.1% from corresponding year earlier.
Wednesday's trade figures come on the back of slowing GDP growth after a sizzling expansion that saw Japan outpace other G7 nations in the first half of the year. Japan's third-quarter economic growth came in at a final reading of 0.3%, down from an initial figure of 0.5%—and a sharp slowdown from 0.9% growth in the previous quarter.
The dollar edged higher against the yen during Asian trading on Wednesday on speculation that Abe may make a growth-strategy announcement in a speech on Thursday. The dollar was at Y102.90 from Y102.67 late in New York trading Tuesday. The euro was at Y141.75 from Y141.35.
Sony Corp shares climbed up 0.28% following a Nikkei newspaper report that the company plans to invest nearly 30 billion yen ($292.3 million) in a semiconductor facility it plans to purchase from Renesas Electronics Corp. Stock in Renesas climbed 2.3%.
Shares of Rohm Co gained 1.9% after the electronics-components maker said it expects 5.24 billion yen in extraordinary profit in the fourth quarter from the sale of properties in Tokyo to Daiwa House Industry Co.
In Australia, Australian share market finished slight weaker in thin turnover, as investors hesitant to hold risker positions on caution before Federal Reserve policy makers announcement of plans for their monthly bond-buying program later in the global day. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index declined 7.10 points to finish at 5096.10, while All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 6.80 points to 5099.30.
Industrials was the worst-performing sector on the ASX 200 sectoral indices, down 1.1%, as online travel company Wotif plummeted 31.8% to A$2.85, after it warned first-half annual profit will fall by up to 20% and said the second-half outlook was also soft.
Utilities stocks were mostly lower following the release of the Australian Energy Regulator's final rate of return guidelines, which were broadly unchanged from the draft released in August. The biggest listed utility, AGL Energy, dropped 0.6% to A$14.43.
Australian top four banking shares were mixed, with Commonwealth Bank falling 0.34% to A$73.68 and Westpac Bank 0.8% to A$30.62, while National Australia Bank rose 0.03% to A$33.41 and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group 0.7% to A$30.70.
Online accommodation provider Wotif.com (WTF) was down 31.8% to A$2.85 after flagging a weaker first half profit. WTF forecasted this year 1H will come in between A$21.9 to A$22.6 million as compared a A$27.5 million 1H profit last year.
Construction group Decmil was up 5.3% to A$2.10, after winning a A$147 million contract from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to expand its offshore asylum seeker processing centre on Manus Island.
CFS Retail Property Trust Group entered a trading halt with the intention of raising up to A$280 million in new capital for a management rights buy-back, the stock was last priced at A$1.90.
In China, key benchmark indices on the China financial market extended losses for a seventh session in row, on concern about liquidity squeeze in the market after central bank suspended open market operations on Tuesday.
China's money markets rates increased on Wednesday as People's Bank of China extended its suspension of open market operations into a second week, again declining to add short-term funding on Tuesday. The bank typically adds funding via seven-day reverse repos on Tuesday and will add via 14-day instruments during Thursday's operation.
The seven-day repo rate, a gauge of borrowing costs among banks and usually watched as an indicator of liquidity stress, traded at a weighted average of 6.30% by late afternoon compared with 4.46% prior day. The overnight repo, a benchmark measure of interbank funding availability, traded at a weighted average of 6.00% compared with 3.59% previous day.
Among top movers- China Avic Avionics Equipment Co. slid 2.5% to lead declines for industrial shares. China Shipping Development Co. retreated to a two-week low. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. surged 5.8% as health-care companies extended the biggest advance among industry groups over the past month after top-ranked Industrial Securities Co. recommended drug shares.
In economic news- The Conference Board said its Leading Economic Index for China rose 1.4% in November to 278.0 following +0.7% in October and +1.0% in September. Three of the six of the index's components contributed positively in November. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index, which measures current economic activity, increased 0.8% to 252.7 in November.
In Hong Kong, shares in the HK market finished higher in thin turnover, as investors chased for value buying following steep recent selloff. But gains were limited on caution ahead of the highly anticipated outcome of the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting later in the global day. The benchmark Hang Seng Index was provisionally up 74.59 points to 23069.23 while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index added 67.25 points to 10894.29.
Among the HK 50 blue chips, 28 rose and 19 fell, while remaining 3 stocks closed steady. Hutchison Whampoa was the biggest blue-chip winner, rising 3.3% to HK$103.60 after the conglomerate hired three banks to prepare for its spin-off of its retail operation A.S. Watson Group. Kunlun Energy Co slipped 3% to HK$13.76, making itself the top blue-chip loser.
Shares of property developer were higher after the housing report, stating 9.9% rise in new-home prices in major mainland Chinese cities on a year-over-year basis. Sun Hung Kai Properties gained 0.78% to HK$97.48 and Sino Land Co. 1.54% to HK$10.58.
Kunlun Energy Co shares fell 3% to HK$13.76 after the firm said on Tuesday that a top executive had stepped down as chairman due to personal matters. Wen Qingshan was named head of the company in August after his predecessor, Li Hualin, became the subject of an investigation by Chinese authorities for severe disciplinary violations.
In India, Indian benchmark indices remained firm in mid-afternoon trade as European stocks edged higher in early trade there. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 260.14 points or 1.26%, off 45.29 points from the day's high and up 303.58 points from the day's low. The market cheered the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s surprise decision to keep its main lending rate viz. the repo rate unchanged at 7.75% after mid-quarter monetary policy review today, 18 December 2013. It was widely expected that the central bank will raise repo rate by 25 basis points to rein in inflation after recent data showed that both consumer prices and wholesale prices accelerated last month.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) extended intraday gain after the company said that Power Transmission & Distribution Business of L&T Construction has secured a major international EPC order worth Rs 2935 crore in Qatar. ONGC rose on bargain hunting after recent slide. PSU OMCs edged higher. Biocon surged after the company said it has entered into a licensing & collaboration agreement with Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the development of a range of small interfering RNA based novel therapeutics. PI Industries rose after a block deal was executed in the counter.
In the foreign exchange market, the Indian rupee edged higher against the dollar as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its main lending rate viz. the repo rate unchanged at 7.75% after a monetary policy review contrary to market expectations of a 25 basis point increase. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 61.87, compared with its close of 62.01/02 on Tuesday, 17 December 2013.
Elsewhere in the region, South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.45%. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite index added 0.33%. Taiwan's Taiex index closed edge 0.05% down. New Zealand's NZX50 index fell 1.1%. Singapore's Straits Times index lost 0.2%. Malaysia's KLSE Composite shed 0.18%.
Turnover across the Asian region was relatively light as investors elected to remain on the sidelines until the US Federal Reserve delivers the outcome of its two day policy meeting scheduled later in the global day.
The market participants are waiting for the FOMC outcome for a roadmap and greater certainty of how the Fed will deal with the process of reducing stimulus. A recent spate of strong U.S. economic data has led some to believe the Fed could start rolling back its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program this month, although many also believe the central bank could wait until early next year -- March at the latest. If the US Federal Reserve does start the long process of withdrawing artificial liquidity this month, the key risk is a sharp spike in long-dated US bond yields. But, if the taper is delayed, bond yields will be driven lower pushing equity markets higher in the very short run.
Among Asian bourses, Japanese financial market advanced, as investors cheered upbeat merchandise exports data along with firming up the US dollar against the yen. The benchmark Nikkei Stocks Average advanced 309.17 points to 15587.80, while the broader Topix index rose 18.18 points to 1250.49.
The Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday that Japanese merchandise exports rose 18.4% from a year earlier to 5.901 trillion yen in November 2013, the ninth straight month of increase, as manufacturers benefit from the yen-weakening impact of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pro-growth strategies. Meanwhile, imports soared 21.1% to 7.19 trillion yen, owing to Japans' hefty bills for oil and gas purchases. Resulting, the trade deficit was 1.29 trillion yen in November 2013, up by 35.1% from corresponding year earlier.
Wednesday's trade figures come on the back of slowing GDP growth after a sizzling expansion that saw Japan outpace other G7 nations in the first half of the year. Japan's third-quarter economic growth came in at a final reading of 0.3%, down from an initial figure of 0.5%—and a sharp slowdown from 0.9% growth in the previous quarter.
The dollar edged higher against the yen during Asian trading on Wednesday on speculation that Abe may make a growth-strategy announcement in a speech on Thursday. The dollar was at Y102.90 from Y102.67 late in New York trading Tuesday. The euro was at Y141.75 from Y141.35.
Sony Corp shares climbed up 0.28% following a Nikkei newspaper report that the company plans to invest nearly 30 billion yen ($292.3 million) in a semiconductor facility it plans to purchase from Renesas Electronics Corp. Stock in Renesas climbed 2.3%.
Shares of Rohm Co gained 1.9% after the electronics-components maker said it expects 5.24 billion yen in extraordinary profit in the fourth quarter from the sale of properties in Tokyo to Daiwa House Industry Co.
In Australia, Australian share market finished slight weaker in thin turnover, as investors hesitant to hold risker positions on caution before Federal Reserve policy makers announcement of plans for their monthly bond-buying program later in the global day. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index declined 7.10 points to finish at 5096.10, while All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 6.80 points to 5099.30.
Industrials was the worst-performing sector on the ASX 200 sectoral indices, down 1.1%, as online travel company Wotif plummeted 31.8% to A$2.85, after it warned first-half annual profit will fall by up to 20% and said the second-half outlook was also soft.
Utilities stocks were mostly lower following the release of the Australian Energy Regulator's final rate of return guidelines, which were broadly unchanged from the draft released in August. The biggest listed utility, AGL Energy, dropped 0.6% to A$14.43.
Australian top four banking shares were mixed, with Commonwealth Bank falling 0.34% to A$73.68 and Westpac Bank 0.8% to A$30.62, while National Australia Bank rose 0.03% to A$33.41 and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group 0.7% to A$30.70.
Online accommodation provider Wotif.com (WTF) was down 31.8% to A$2.85 after flagging a weaker first half profit. WTF forecasted this year 1H will come in between A$21.9 to A$22.6 million as compared a A$27.5 million 1H profit last year.
Construction group Decmil was up 5.3% to A$2.10, after winning a A$147 million contract from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to expand its offshore asylum seeker processing centre on Manus Island.
CFS Retail Property Trust Group entered a trading halt with the intention of raising up to A$280 million in new capital for a management rights buy-back, the stock was last priced at A$1.90.
In China, key benchmark indices on the China financial market extended losses for a seventh session in row, on concern about liquidity squeeze in the market after central bank suspended open market operations on Tuesday.
China's money markets rates increased on Wednesday as People's Bank of China extended its suspension of open market operations into a second week, again declining to add short-term funding on Tuesday. The bank typically adds funding via seven-day reverse repos on Tuesday and will add via 14-day instruments during Thursday's operation.
The seven-day repo rate, a gauge of borrowing costs among banks and usually watched as an indicator of liquidity stress, traded at a weighted average of 6.30% by late afternoon compared with 4.46% prior day. The overnight repo, a benchmark measure of interbank funding availability, traded at a weighted average of 6.00% compared with 3.59% previous day.
Among top movers- China Avic Avionics Equipment Co. slid 2.5% to lead declines for industrial shares. China Shipping Development Co. retreated to a two-week low. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. surged 5.8% as health-care companies extended the biggest advance among industry groups over the past month after top-ranked Industrial Securities Co. recommended drug shares.
In economic news- The Conference Board said its Leading Economic Index for China rose 1.4% in November to 278.0 following +0.7% in October and +1.0% in September. Three of the six of the index's components contributed positively in November. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index, which measures current economic activity, increased 0.8% to 252.7 in November.
In Hong Kong, shares in the HK market finished higher in thin turnover, as investors chased for value buying following steep recent selloff. But gains were limited on caution ahead of the highly anticipated outcome of the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting later in the global day. The benchmark Hang Seng Index was provisionally up 74.59 points to 23069.23 while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index added 67.25 points to 10894.29.
Among the HK 50 blue chips, 28 rose and 19 fell, while remaining 3 stocks closed steady. Hutchison Whampoa was the biggest blue-chip winner, rising 3.3% to HK$103.60 after the conglomerate hired three banks to prepare for its spin-off of its retail operation A.S. Watson Group. Kunlun Energy Co slipped 3% to HK$13.76, making itself the top blue-chip loser.
Shares of property developer were higher after the housing report, stating 9.9% rise in new-home prices in major mainland Chinese cities on a year-over-year basis. Sun Hung Kai Properties gained 0.78% to HK$97.48 and Sino Land Co. 1.54% to HK$10.58.
Kunlun Energy Co shares fell 3% to HK$13.76 after the firm said on Tuesday that a top executive had stepped down as chairman due to personal matters. Wen Qingshan was named head of the company in August after his predecessor, Li Hualin, became the subject of an investigation by Chinese authorities for severe disciplinary violations.
In India, Indian benchmark indices remained firm in mid-afternoon trade as European stocks edged higher in early trade there. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 260.14 points or 1.26%, off 45.29 points from the day's high and up 303.58 points from the day's low. The market cheered the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s surprise decision to keep its main lending rate viz. the repo rate unchanged at 7.75% after mid-quarter monetary policy review today, 18 December 2013. It was widely expected that the central bank will raise repo rate by 25 basis points to rein in inflation after recent data showed that both consumer prices and wholesale prices accelerated last month.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) extended intraday gain after the company said that Power Transmission & Distribution Business of L&T Construction has secured a major international EPC order worth Rs 2935 crore in Qatar. ONGC rose on bargain hunting after recent slide. PSU OMCs edged higher. Biocon surged after the company said it has entered into a licensing & collaboration agreement with Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the development of a range of small interfering RNA based novel therapeutics. PI Industries rose after a block deal was executed in the counter.
In the foreign exchange market, the Indian rupee edged higher against the dollar as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its main lending rate viz. the repo rate unchanged at 7.75% after a monetary policy review contrary to market expectations of a 25 basis point increase. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 61.87, compared with its close of 62.01/02 on Tuesday, 17 December 2013.
Elsewhere in the region, South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.45%. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite index added 0.33%. Taiwan's Taiex index closed edge 0.05% down. New Zealand's NZX50 index fell 1.1%. Singapore's Straits Times index lost 0.2%. Malaysia's KLSE Composite shed 0.18%.
