Asian shares mixed after Fed rate hike


FE Team | Published: March 22, 2018 11:08:56 | Updated: March 23, 2018 16:38:22


File Photo (Collected)

Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after US stock indexes finished with small losses following the Federal Reserve’s hike in interest rates.

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates, as investors expected, and said it could raise rates at a quicker pace next year, reports AP.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5 per cent to 21,488.07 while the Kospi in South Korea added 0.5 per cent to 2,498.17. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.5 per cent to 31,267.45.

The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.8 per cent to 3,254.31. Australia’s S&P ASX 200 fell 0.2 per cent to 5,935.80. Shares were mixed in Southeast Asia.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.2 per cent to 24,682.31, while the S&P 500 index slid 0.2 per cent to 2,711.93. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3 per cent to 7,345.29.

Benchmark US crude rose 5 cents to $65.22 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.63, or 2.6 per cent, to $65.17 a barrel on Wednesday.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 3 cents to $69.04 per barrel. It added $2.05, or 3 per cent, to $69.47 a barrel in London.

The dollar fell to 105.68 yen from 106.05 yen. The euro rose to $1.2364 from $1.2240.

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