Asia Pacific share market were narrowly mixed on Wednesday, 24 August 2016, with Tokyo gaining slightly on a weaker yen and Shanghai taking a breather with investors looking ahead to remarks at the end of the week from the U.S. Fed chief.
Attention turns to an annual meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later this week with investors focused on a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Friday that may confirm and elaborate on recent hawkish statements on the need for a interest rate hike before the end of the year from fellow policymakers.
Among Asian bourses
Nikkei ups 0.6% as yen pause
The Japan share market recouped just enough to yesterday losses, thanks to buybacks of large-cap mainstay issues that reflected a pause in the yen's advance against the dollar. The 225-issue Nikkei stock average advanced 99.94 points, or 0.61%, to end at 16597.30 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Topix index of all first-section issues grew 9.15 points, or 0.71%, to close at 1306.71. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1287 to 617 and 153 ended unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 1.16% to 22.59.
Softbank Group surged 2.46%, after JP Morgan Securities raised its investment rating and stock price target for the mobile phone carrier. Peers KDDI and NTT Docomo were downbeat. The weaker yen gave a lift to automakers Toyota and Nissan, and electronics makers Sony and Canon.
Screen Holdings Co. was the biggest gainer on the Nikkei 225, advancing 7.8%, after Mizuho Financial Group Inc. raised its target price on the stock by 14%, citing improving margins.
Honda Motor Co. added 0.8% following a Nikkei newspaper report that it will raise output capacity for hybrid motors in October.
Furniture shop operator Nitori Holdings Co. lost 5.6% after reporting a slowdown in monthly sales growth. Clothing chain operator Shimamura Co. dropped 8.1% after same-store sales in August slumped 5.5% on the year.
ASX200 clings to gain
Australian share market finished session tad higher, as gain in materials, property trusts, and financials stocks were just enough to offset losses in a number of index heavyweights including Wesfarmers and Telstra. At close of trade, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index advanced 7.90 points, or 0.14%, to 5561.70. The broader All Ordinaries added 6.50 points, or 0.12%, to 5653.60.
Ardent Leisure was the biggest winner on the ASX 200, surging 14% after unveiling a 32% rise in annual profit, thanks to rising numbers of Chinese visitors to its theme parks. Sirtex Medical and Spotless Group also posted healthy gains after reporting results.
Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, pleased investors by declaring its first dividend in seven years and posting a record profit. Even though the result fell slightly short of expectations and challenges remain, especially in the domestic market, the stock added 1.5%, as the airline flagged further share buybacks.
Telstra was the biggest drag on the benchmark index, losing 3.5% as the telecom traded ex-dividend. Retail and resources conglomerate Wesfarmers was another bluechip weighing heavily on the market, losing 2.2% after recording its worst net profit in 15 years. Other stocks that sold off following earnings reports included A2 Milk, Boral, McMillan Shakespeare and Blackmores.
Aconex lost 6.3%, as the construction software maker on Tuesday reported a 50% rise in revenue and an operating profit of A$13.6 million, which came in slightly below the lofty expectations of the analyst crowd. Both Credit Suisse and Deutsche cut their recommendations by one notch and are now neutral on the stock, mainly due to its high valuation after soaring more than 40% this year.
China Market falls as hopes for policy easing fade
Mainland China stock market closed lower, dragged down by financial and property shares amid receding expectations of aggressive monetary easing. The CSI300 index, which tracks the largest listed companies trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen, fell 0.36% to 3329.86 points. The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.12% at 3085.88 points while the Shenzhen Composite index closed up 0.31% at 2030.28 points.
China's central bank on Wednesday injected cash into money markets through 14-day reverse repurchase agreements for the first time since February, trimming the prospect of more liquidity injections expectations of further aggressive monetary easing.
The property shares finished lower with subindex losing 1.55%. China Vanke Co was among the top losers, which dropped 2.87%. The financial subindex was down 0.73%.
Hong Kong Market drops 0.77%
The Hong Kong stock declined, as profit booking triggered on fear recent gains were excessive relative to earnings prospects, with Chinese banks leading declines. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 178.15 points, or 0.77%, to 22820.78 points. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, benchmark measure of performance of mainland China enterprises, declined 79.90 points, or 0.83%, to 9507.09. Turnover increased to HK$62 billion from HK$60.8 billion on Tuesday.
Galaxy Entertainment (00027) slid 3%, becoming worst blue-chip lower ahead of its earnings report tomorrow. Want Want (00151) jumped 3% to HK$5.06, becoming the top blue-chip gainer today, as Macquarie Research said the worst for the company is over, and maintained its "outperform" rating, with a higher target price of HK$6.7.
ICBC, China's largest lender, slid 2% after a momentum indicator rose to levels only seen during one period in the past five years, while China Construction Bank Corp. lost 0.9%. Both have erased their 2016 losses as they jumped at least 10% this month.
China Overseas Land & Investment fell 1.1% after China Merchants Securities analyst John So downgraded his recommendation on the stock. China Vanke Co. lost 0.5% after S&P Global Ratings lowered the outlook on the developer's corporate ratings to negative from stable.
Henderson Land (00012) fell 1% after it reported interim earnings of HK$8.6 billion, representing a 13% decline. JP Morgan recommended an "underweight" while Deutsche Bank rated it a "buy". New World (00017) and CK Property (01113) fell 1.5% and 2% to HK$9.75 and HK$54.7.
Sensex settles above 28,000 mark
Indian benchmark indices registered small gains in a lacklustre trading session. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 69.73 points or 0.25% to settle at 28,059.94. The Nifty 50 index rose 17.70 points or 0.21% to settle at 8,650.30.
Maruti Suzuki India edged higher on reports that a foreign brokerage has upgraded its rating on the stock to buy from outperform with target price of Rs 5,850 per share. Aurobindo Pharma surged after the company announced strong Q1 results. Indian Oil Corporation moved higher after the company said that its board of directors will consider issue of bonus shares along with Q1 June 2016 results on 29 August 2016.
Index heavyweight and software major Infosys nudged higher on reports that the company may get about $60 million (Rs 400 crore) in incremental revenue over the third and fourth quarters of the current financial year (FY 2017) as part of the Rs 1380 crore Goods Services and Tax Network (GSTN) project. Idea Cellular edged lower after the company denied reports that it was in merger talks with Vodafone India.
Welspun India tumbled on reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reviewing Welspun's cotton certification records following Target Corp.'s decision to snap ties with the Indian textile maker over a cotton supply dispute.
Elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region: New Zealand's NZX50 rose 0.1% to 7416.09. South Korea's KOSPI index declined 0.3% to 2043.76. Taiwan's Taiex index fell 0.2% to 9017.38. Malaysia's KLCI was down 0.1% to 1682.06. Singapore's Straits Times index rose 0.7% to 2869.57. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite index dropped 0.24% to 5403.99.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
