Asian markets closed mixed at the end of trading on Thursday, July 10, as Japanese markets closed lower. Chinese indices rose, and the Korean Kospi index gained more than 1.5% after the central bank’s meeting.
In economic data released this morning, figures released by the Bank of Japan showed that annual wholesale price inflation slowed for the third consecutive month in June. The index, which measures the prices companies charge each other for goods and services, grew by 2.9%, compared to 3.3% in May, matching expectations.
The Nikkei index closed at 39,646 points, down 0.44%, or 174 points. The Topix index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell by approximately 0.56% today, closing at 2,812 points. Nikon and Tokyo Electric Power led the Nikkei’s losses, with declines of more than 5%. Chinese indices recorded gains today, with the broader Chinese CSI300 index rising by approximately 0.47% to close at 4,010 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.48% higher at 3,509 points.
The Hang Seng Index, the main index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose by approximately 0.58% to close at 24,030 points, with gains in Sunny Optical and BYD Electronic leading the index’s rise, with gains of more than 6%.
Conversely, the South Korean Kospi index rose by approximately 1.58% to close at 3,183 points, as the Bank of Korea left interest rates unchanged at its meeting this morning at 2.5%, as it assessed the impact of recent measures aimed at calming Seoul’s housing market, which surged by 19% in June. India’s Sensex index fell by about 0.31% before closing at 83,277 points, while the Nifty 50 index fell by about 0.39% to trade at 25,375 points.
New Zealand stock markets closed with losses today, with the NZX 50 index falling by about 0.06% to close at 12,760 points, while Australia’s ASX 200 index rose by about 0.59% to close at 8,589 points. Singapore’s main index rose by 0.44% in pre-closing trading