— The Australian stock market (S&P/ASX 200) closed higher today, matching the U.S. stock market, which closed in positive territory last night. Industrial and materials stocks led the market after a recovery in commodity prices.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed at 7,478.00, up 35.20 or +0.47%, and the All Ordinaries Index closed at 7,772.00, up 37.20 or +0.48%.
— Tokyo’s Nikkei index closed slightly higher today as investors came in and bought cheap stocks after the Nikkei index fell sharply over the past two business days.
The Nikkei index closed at 26,985.80, up 97.23 points or +0.36%.
— The Shanghai Composite Index and the Chinese stock markets closed higher today. This was supported by the fact that investors bought shares after the price had fallen sharply in the past due to concerns about the slowdown in China’s manufacturing and service sectors.
The Shanghai Composite Index closed at 3,251.85, up 15.16 or +0.47%.
— South Korean stock indices closed slightly higher today. While investors fear that the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) will raise interest rates to curb inflation, the won weakened against the U.S. dollar.
The South Korean Stock Exchange Composite Index (KOSPI) closed up 4.53 points, or 0.17%, today on a moderate trading volume of 920 million shares worth 10.1 trillion won ($8.2 billion).
— The Hang Seng Index, Hong Kong’s stock market, closed higher today. Investors bought shares after the market had fallen more than 100 points in the morning. Speeding up interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and the ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine give cause for concern.
The Hang Seng Index closed at 21,872.01 points, up 63.03 points or +0.29%.
— Thai stock indices recovered mostly in positive territory. It reached a high of 1690.58 points and a low of 1678.07 points.