Global stocks mixed, Chinese shares recover
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.80% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 3.56%, China’s Shanghai Composite also ended 1.80% higher; European markets were higher
Bangkok: Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday after Japan reported its exports jumped nearly 10 per cent in December, though shares in Tokyo declined. US futures and oil prices edged higher. Chinese shares resumed their upward climb after the vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Wang Jiangjun, called for better protections for investors and for instilling confidence in the potential for gains in the markets, which have faltered in recent months.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 2 per cent to 15,569.39, helped by gains in technology companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba, which surged 3.8 per cent. The Shanghai Composite index recovered from early losses, climbing 1.8 per cent to 2,820.77. Japan’s exports grew nearly 3 per cent in 2023 while imports fell 7 per cent, leaving a trade deficit of 9.2 trillion yen, preliminary customs data showed, a sharp drop from the 20.3 trillion yen deficit reported the year before.
