01/22/2024 – 5:46
By Sergio Caldas*
São Paulo, 01/22/2024 – Asian stock exchanges closed without a single direction this Monday, with strong falls in China after the maintenance of main local interest rates and a new high in almost 34 years in Tokyo, before the monetary policy decision of the Bank of Japan (BoJ).
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite index fell 2.68%, to 2,756.34 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite index suffered an even greater drop, of 4.47%, to 1,611.26 points. The bad mood set in after the PBoC, as the Chinese central bank is known, left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the fifth consecutive month, despite the persistent crisis in the country's real estate sector and signs of weakness in consumption.
On the other hand, the Japanese Nikkei advanced 1.62% in Tokyo today, to 36,546.95 points, renewing its highest since February 1990. The BoJ reviews its monetary policy in the early hours of this Tuesday, but analysts predict an interest increase only in second quarter.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Hang Seng fell 2.27% in Hong Kong, to 14,961.18 points, and the South Korean Kospi lost 0.34% in Seoul, to 2,464.35 points, after volatile trading, while the Taiex rose 0.76% in Taiwan, to 17,815.10 points.
In Oceania, the Australian stock market was in the black, extending gains from the previous session, amid the good performance of bank and retail shares. The S&P/ASX 20 rose 0.75% in Sydney, to 7,476.60 points.
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*With information from Dow Jones Newswires
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