Asian markets closed higher at the end of trading on Monday, July 21, the opening session of the week. Chinese indices closed with collective gains after the People’s Bank of China decided to maintain interest rates, while Japanese markets were closed for Navy Day.
The People’s Bank of China maintained the one-year lending rate at 3% and the five-year lending rate at 3.5%, as expected, during its meeting this morning.
In a related development, New Zealand’s consumer price index rose 0.5% on a quarterly basis in the second quarter of this year, ending in June, after a 0.9% increase in the first quarter, compared to expectations for growth of 0.6%.
Chinese indices registered gains today, with the broader Chinese CSI300 index rising by about 0.67% to close at 4,085 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.72% higher at 3,559 points. The Hang Seng Index, the main index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose by approximately 0.57% today, closing at 24,966 points, with China Petroleum & Chemical leading the gains, with gains of more than 5%.

India’s Sensex index rose by approximately 0.40% before closing at 82,091 points, while the Nifty 50 index rose by approximately 0.30%, trading at 25,044 points. The Securities and Exchange Board of India announced that it had allowed American trading firm Jane Street to resume trading after it was suspended and accused of market manipulation on July 3. New Zealand stock markets closed with gains today, as the NZX50 index rose by 0.63% to close at 12,961 points, while Australia’s ASX200 index fell by 1.02% to close at 8,668 points. Singapore’s main index, the FTSE Staits Time Index, rose by 0.37% in pre-closing trading to trade at 4,203 points, after testing 4,225 points at the beginning of the session, setting a new record high, rising for the 11th consecutive session.ش