—– The Nikkei in Tokyo closed higher for the fourth consecutive day, supported by the weakening of the yen against the dollar. The biggest gainers were Tokyo Electric Power Co, Inc.+7.21%, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.+5.82%, and Inpex Corp.+4.88%. The biggest losers were Z Holdings-2.50%, Rakuten Inc-. 2.18%, and Recruit Holdings-2.02%.
The Nikkei Index closed at 27,049.47, up 178.20, or +0.66%.
—– Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed higher, with energy stocks leading the market after crude oil prices rose. The top performers were Collins Foods+11.52%, Resolute Mining+8.89%, and Polynovo+7.25%. The biggest losers were Pointsbet Holdings-8.57%, Zip-7.77%, and Appen Ltd-5.81%.
The S&P/ASX 200 index closed at 6,763.60 points, up 57.60 points, or +0.86%.
The All Ordinaries Index closed at 6,953.40 points, up 59.80 points, or +0.87%.
—– South Korea’s KOSPI closed in positive territory for the third consecutive day, driven by speculative buying in the technology and auto sectors. MetaLabs+19.07%, Chosun Welding+16.43%, and Bumyang Construction+16.26% were the biggest gainers. The biggest losers were Dongbu Steel-8.07%, Sbw-4.99%, and Jcontentree-4.97%.
The Composite Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,422.09 points, up 20.17 points, or +0.84%.
—– China’s Shanghai Composite closed higher after news that China eased measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and reduced the number of quarantine days for foreign tourists. The winners were led by Ningbo Henghe Mold (+20%), MH Robot Automation (+20.01%), and Western Regions (+19.99%). The biggest losers were Lanhai Medical (-44.25%), Bode Energy Equipment (-11.38%), and Zheijiang Orient Gene Biotech Co (-11.10%).
The Shanghai Composite Index closed at 3,409.21, up 30.02, or +0.89%.
—– The Hang Seng in Hong Kong closed positive in response to news that China announces an easing of measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The biggest gainers were Shirble Department Store China+54.17%, Styland+46.88%, TFG Intermational+29.58%. The biggest losers were Magnus Concordia-38.76%, Alco-18.18%, and Mongolia Energy-17.88%.
The Hang Seng Index closed at 22,418.97, up 189.45, or +0.85%.
—– Thai stock market rose due to buying power in the energy sector and Open City Group. The biggest gainers were Waropakorn+29.03%, TRC Construction+28.57%, and Italian-Thai Development +20%. The biggest losers were TWZ-12.50%, C.P.L. Group-6.69%, and Castle Peak Holdings-6.25%.
The SET closed at 1594.47 points, an increase of 14.27 points or +0.90%.