Tokyo, Japan (BBN)-Asian shares were mostly down on Thursday despite US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen’s reiteration that the Fed would consider interest rate rises “on a meeting-by-meeting basis”.
In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 was up 0.38% and 18,655.72 points after reaching a 15-year high earlier in the week, reports BBC
But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.20% at 24,728.92.
The Shanghai Composite index was also down, by 0.66% at 3,207.68
The downward trend in China on Thursday occurred despite one of Asia’s largest insurers, Hong-Kong listed AIA Group, posting better than expected earnings due to growth in its operations across China.
AIA is the former Asian arm of the American insurance giant AIG.
“Our performance is a clear reflection of the strength of AIA’s business model, the determined execution of our proven growth strategy and our position as the leading insurer exclusively focused on the Asia-Pacific region,” said the firm’s chief executive Mark Tucker.
The company listed in 2010 and is the biggest international life insurance player in China.
ELSEWHERE IN ASIA
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.65% at 5,906.50 following official numbers that showed Australian business investment had slipped to a three-year low in the fourth quarter of 2014.
However, Australia’s national carrier Qantas reported its best half-year profit in four years, as turnaround plans came to fruition.
Shares in the Sydney-listed airline rose more than 6% following the news.
In Korea, the Kospi share index was down 0.20% at 1,986.41.
BBN/SK/AD-26feb15-10:10am (BST)
Saturday, April 20, 2024
