Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mixed during late Asian trade on Thursday, as concerns over disappointing corporate earnings results from global companies continued to weigh on appetite for equities.
Shares in Japan, however outperformed the region on growing expectations that the Bank of Japan would further ease monetary policy next week.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased down 0.1%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index ended up 0.1%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.1%.
The Federal Reserve announced no new measures at the end of a two-day meeting Wednesday. The central bank said the economy is still expanding moderately but that growth has been slow and unemployment remains elevated.
The Fed vowed in mid-September to buy USD40 billion in mortgage securities each month until the economy improves in a third round of what is known as quantitative easing, or QE3.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei rallied to a four-week closing high, buoyed by mounting speculation the Bank of Japan will introduce more monetary easing measures at its next policy meeting on October 30.
Many of the big name Japanese exporters advanced, as the yen weakened to the lowest level in four months against the U.S. dollar. A weaker yen increases the value of overseas income at Japanese companies when repatriated, boosting the outlook for export earnings.
Shares in automakers Nissan and Honda rose 1.9% and 1.4% respectively, while Toyota added 1.3%.
On the downside, troubled electronics maker Sharp saw shares drop 4.2% after a Nikkei report said the company expects a JPY400 billion half-year net loss, nearly double what the firm projected in August.
Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng index was little changed as investors continued to asses the health of China’s economy.
In earnings news, oil major CNOOC saw shares gain 1.1% after a 5.2% increase in third-quarter revenue and lifted its 2012 oil-and-gas-output target.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged up from Wednesday’s one-week low to end modestly higher.
Shares in Australia & New Zealand Banking Group lost 0.85% after it warned it expects increasingly challenging trading conditions. For the current period, the lender reported a 6% rise in first-half net profit after tax.
In Europe, regional markets were mildly higher after the open, as investors awaited any indication that Spain is moving closer to formally requesting a bailout from its euro zone partners and activating the European Central Bank’s bond purchasing plan.
The EURO STOXX 50 eased up 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.3%, London’s FTSE 100 edged 0.15% higher, while Germany's DAX was little changed.
Later Thursday, the U.S. was to release official data on durable goods orders, as well as reports on pending home sales and initial jobless claims.
Shares in Japan, however outperformed the region on growing expectations that the Bank of Japan would further ease monetary policy next week.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased down 0.1%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index ended up 0.1%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.1%.
The Federal Reserve announced no new measures at the end of a two-day meeting Wednesday. The central bank said the economy is still expanding moderately but that growth has been slow and unemployment remains elevated.
The Fed vowed in mid-September to buy USD40 billion in mortgage securities each month until the economy improves in a third round of what is known as quantitative easing, or QE3.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei rallied to a four-week closing high, buoyed by mounting speculation the Bank of Japan will introduce more monetary easing measures at its next policy meeting on October 30.
Many of the big name Japanese exporters advanced, as the yen weakened to the lowest level in four months against the U.S. dollar. A weaker yen increases the value of overseas income at Japanese companies when repatriated, boosting the outlook for export earnings.
Shares in automakers Nissan and Honda rose 1.9% and 1.4% respectively, while Toyota added 1.3%.
On the downside, troubled electronics maker Sharp saw shares drop 4.2% after a Nikkei report said the company expects a JPY400 billion half-year net loss, nearly double what the firm projected in August.
Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng index was little changed as investors continued to asses the health of China’s economy.
In earnings news, oil major CNOOC saw shares gain 1.1% after a 5.2% increase in third-quarter revenue and lifted its 2012 oil-and-gas-output target.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged up from Wednesday’s one-week low to end modestly higher.
Shares in Australia & New Zealand Banking Group lost 0.85% after it warned it expects increasingly challenging trading conditions. For the current period, the lender reported a 6% rise in first-half net profit after tax.
In Europe, regional markets were mildly higher after the open, as investors awaited any indication that Spain is moving closer to formally requesting a bailout from its euro zone partners and activating the European Central Bank’s bond purchasing plan.
The EURO STOXX 50 eased up 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.3%, London’s FTSE 100 edged 0.15% higher, while Germany's DAX was little changed.
Later Thursday, the U.S. was to release official data on durable goods orders, as well as reports on pending home sales and initial jobless claims.