Hong Kong stocks were volatile while mainland China markets continued to slide Tuesday, while other major Asian markets rose after Wall Street’s second straight positive session.
The Nikkei 225 rocketed 275.38 points, or 1%, to 27,250.28.
Japan’s finance minister Shunichi Suzuki again refused to comment on whether authorities intervened in the currency market, according to a Reuters report.
Suzuki’s repeated refusal to comment on the matter comes after speculation that a sharp strengthening on Monday morning followed another intervention reported by numerous media outlets, citing people familiar with the matter.
The minister was quoted as saying excessive volatility must be smoothed out, and that the government is ready to take appropriate actions when necessary.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng lost 15.1 points, or 0.1%, to 15,165.59, with heavyweight HSBC falling more than 5% after reporting a drop in profits. outside Japan was about flat.
Singapore’s inflation increased 7.5% in September, with core inflation rising 5.3%, official data showed Tuesday.
Consumer prices in Singapore rose 7.5% in September from a year ago, unchanged from the increase reported in August and in line with expectations from analysts polled by Reuters.
Core inflation, which is the indicator watched by the local central bank, rose 5.3% in September from a year ago. That compares with the average analyst forecast of 5.2% in a Reuters poll, and the 5.1% reading in August.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 fell 5.92 points, or 0.2%, to 3,627.45.
UBS raised its China growth forecast for 2022 following the latest slew of economic data that was released after a delay.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex let go of 190.86 points, or 1.5%, to 12,666.12.
In Korea, the Kospi index dipped 1.09 points, or 0.1%, to 2,236.16.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index gained 14.2 points, or 0.5%, to return from a long weekend at 2,984.15.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 zoomed 119.96 points, or 1.1%, to 10,902.31.
In Australia, the ASX 200 added 19.25 points, 0.3%, to 6,798.62.
