Asian stock markets closed without a single direction on Friday (17), as investors monitor the growing divergence between US and Japanese monetary policies.
The BoJ, as the Japanese central bank is known, left its ultra-accommodative policy unchanged on Friday, two days after the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) raised its policy rate by 75 basis points, the biggest such adjustment since 1994. .
Following the BoJ’s decision, its chairman, Haruhiko Kuroda, said tightening monetary conditions would be inappropriate at the moment, but also highlighted that the rapid devaluation of the yen, which operates near its lowest levels against the dollar since 1998, is bad for the economy. japanese.
The Japanese stock index Nikkei ended today’s trading session in Tokyo down 1.77% at 25,963.00 points, while the South Korean Kospi fell 0.43% in Seoul, at 2,440.93 points, and the Taiex fell 1.25% in Taiwan to 15,641.26 points.
The bad mood in parts of Asia came after the New York stock exchanges fell yesterday to the lowest levels in at least a year and a half, in the face of concerns that the aggressive posture of the US central bank will have recessive effects.
In China, however, the day was one of gains as new cases of covid-19 in Shanghai and nationwide are under control, allowing a faster resumption of activities and production. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.96% to 3,316.79 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite rose 1.16% to 2,131.22 points.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng recovered at the end of the session, closing up 1.10%, at 21,075.00 points, with the help of technology and insurance stocks.
In Oceania, fears of recession that hovered on Wall Street also weighed on the Australian stock market, and the S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.77% in Sydney, at 6,474.80 points.
*With information from Dow Jones Newswires
Source: CNN Brasil
