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Shares in Asia mostly higher as Japan trade data aids views, ASX down

Published 04/21/2015, 11:59 PM
Updated 04/22/2015, 12:00 AM
© Reuters. Asian shares mostly higher

Investing.com - Shares in Asia were mostly higher on Wednesday with Tokyo and Shanghai up solidly.

The Nikkei 225 gained 0.88% after the break on solid trade figures, while the Shanghai Composite jumped 1.78% on hope for further easy policy by the People's Bank of China. The Hang Seng index rose 0.30%, but the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.64% on mixed data.

Overnight, U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Healthcare, Consumer Services and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher while losses in the Oil & Gas, Utilities and Basic Materials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.47%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.15%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.39%.

On the data front on Wednesday in Asia, Japan's March trade data showed a surplus of ¥229.3 billion,a surge well above the ¥50.0 billion expected and the first surplus in 33 months. Exports rose 8.5%, matching expectations and imports declined 14.5%, more than the 12.8% fall seen.

The March Westpac-MI leading index fell 0.28 of a point to 98, slipping the February index above-trend reading for the first time since January 2014.

Australia's first quarter CPI rose 0.2%, in line with expectations along with the annual pace of a gain of 1.3%.

Sentiment on the single currency also remained fragile amid concerns that Athens is no closer to reaching an agreement on economic reforms for bailout funds with its creditors, fuelling fears that Greece could be forced out of the euro zone.

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