Asian markets traded mixed in early deals on Monday, with the negative Wall Street overnight after hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Market participants cautiously awaited for upcoming remarks from other Fed policymakers this week for further clarity on the direction of US interest rates in the months ahead. Albeit, short covering after previous sessional losses capped some losses in the market. Japan’s Nikkei shrunk pressured from a sharp rebound in the local currency yen. Meanwhile, investors keenly awaited for Japan’s trade data on Wednesday and inflation figures on Friday, for further clarity on the outlook for both the economy and monetary policy.
Nikkei 225 down by 374.88 points or 0.97% to 38,268.03, Straight times dipped 3.00 points or 0.08% to 3,741.70, Taiwan declined by 127.91 points or 0.56% to 22,614.86, and Jakarta Composite slipped by 7.03 points or 0.10% to 7,154.23.
On flip side, Hang Seng surged by 229.24 points or 1.17% to 19,655.58, KOSPI picked soared by 49.29 points or 2% to 2,466.15, Shanghai up by 41.45 points or 1.23% to 3,372.18, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI higher by 9.98 points or 0.63% to 1,602.42.