Share prices rally on Asian Exchanges
TOKYO (AFP): Share prices jumped back yesterday after a three- day losing streak on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, heartened by the easing of the yen against the dollar.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed 458.89 points, or 2.2 percent, higher at 21,040.21, reversing a 4.2 percent decline in the past three days from its two-year highs. The Tokyo Stock Price Index (TOPIX) of all issues on the first section also rallied 32.27 points to 1,681.24.
The receding tension over the Korean nuclear standoff also boosted buying sentiment led by financial institutions and investment funds, they added.
In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index, a 19.06-point gainer on Wednesday, added another 89.95 or one percent to close at 8,966.79, with utilities, property and hotel stocks doing best.
Turnover remained thin at HK$2.81 billion (US$364 million), although a bit higher than the previous day's HK$2.56 billion.
In Taipei, following the previous session's 8.64-point rise, the 374-issue weighted price index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange lost 86.47 points or 1.45 percent to settle at 5,871.14 points.
Turnover rose to 1,030 million shares valued at T$52.64 billion ($1.95 billion) compared with 856 million shares worth T$40.58 billion the previous day.
In Singapore, the barometer Straits Times Industrials index shed 4.85 points to close provisionally at 2,250.45.
In Bangkok, The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index slid an 6.95 points, or 0.53 percent, its fourth consecutive loss, to close at 1,304.86 points, as investors continued their worried watch of the U.S. dollar, brokers said.
In extremely light trading, 60.2 million shares worth 5.8 billion baht ($232 million) changed hands.
In Sydney, the key All Ordinaries Index closed at 2,022.5 points, 11.6 points or 0.6 percent above Wednesday's finish. The All Industrials Index surged 24.9 points to 2,933.1, while the All Resources Index edged up 1.0 point to 1,340.6.
National turnover totaled 275.8 million shares worth A$579 million ($423 million), rises marginally outnumbering falls.
In London, the Footsie index of 100 leading shares rose by 9.4 points or by 0.3 percent to 2,969.8 points and gilt-edged stock firmed by 1.5 points at the most.
In Paris, the CAC 40 index was showing a gain of 1.77 percent to 1,951.06 points which had last been reached on June 15.
But share prices in Paris have fallen by 8.88 percent during the last four weeks and by 14.2 percent since January 1.
In New York, the Dow Jones index of 30 leading industrials was up 16.49 points to 3,724.46 at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT). About 78 million shares changed hands.