TOKYO, Nov 19: Share prices on Asia’s major stock markets made modest gains on Monday as investors sought bargains in generally quiet, featureless trading.
Singapore, Seoul and Taipei were the strongest performers, each advancing by more than 2.0 per cent on bargain-hunting, positive economic data and short-covering respectively.
Tokyo stocks closed 0.7 per cent higher in cautious trade ahead of earnings results by banks, with limited bargain-hunting led by hi-tech issues and the auto sector, brokers said.
The Nikkei average of 225 leading issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 78.85 points to end at 10,727.94.
Selected shares, including some hi-tech issues, received moderate buying support in the afternoon, said Mizuho Investors Securities broker Masatoshi Sato. Also, the yen’s decline against the dollar encouraged players to buy auto shares.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong share prices rose 0.6 per cent on follow-up buying interest after last week’s gains.
The key Hang Seng index gained 72.89 points to close at 11,360.26.
Today’s gains were supported by follow-through interest in telecom stocks, and there was not an immediate reason for the modest rise, said Marty Chan, an analyst with Polaris Securities.
SYDNEY: The Australian share market closed 0.3 per cent higher with solid support for Telstra and News Corp. offset by a round of profit taking in major banking stocks.
The All Ordinaries index rose 9.8 points to 3,267.3, while the SP/ASX 200 gained 9.4 points to 3,331.9.
SINGAPORE: Singapore share prices closed 2.1 per cent up, ahead of changes to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) index later this month.
The Straits Times Index climbed 30.03 points to 1,452.20 while the broader All-Singapore Equities Index was 7.91 points higher at 389.43.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian stocks closed 1.1 per cent lower on profit-taking in key bluechips after sharp gains last week.
The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange’s composite index fell 7.17 points to finish at 628.14
The composite index is lower, mainly due to selling in blue chips.
It could be the local funds taking profit. Some of the shares were up last week, and they were due for a little correction anyway, said a local institutional dealer.
MUMBAI: Indian share prices climbed 2.6 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on increased hopes of an early end to the Afghan conflict.
The benchmark 30-share BSE sensitive index added 82.99 points to close at 3,263.22.
JAKARTA: Indonesian share prices closed 1.1 per cent higher on a technical rebound in selected big caps amid weak market sentiment.
The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index closed up 4.117 points at 382.787, off a low of 377.495.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s sharemarket took a breather from its recent gains, which had been aided by last week’s interest rate cut, to close marginally lower.
The NZSE-40 capital index slipped 4.95 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 2018.90.—AFP