Asian Shares Mixed; BOJ Keeps Monetary Policy Unchanged

Asian shares exhibited a mixed performance on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, following a seven-week winning streak on Wall Street that cooled down, Elaine Kurtenbasch reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintained its ultra-lax monetary policy, as expected, contributing to the market dynamics. I Photo: ykanazawa1999 Flickr

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintained its ultra-lax monetary policy, as expected, contributing to the market dynamics.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.9% to reach 33,063.00, while the S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney added 0.8% to 7,486.90. South Korea's Kospi remained nearly unchanged at 2,566.30.

However, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined by 0.6% to 16,527.75, and the Shanghai Composite index fell slightly to 2,930.18. Bangkok's SET and Taiwan's Taiex also showed little change, while the dollar rose against the yen, climbing to 143.38 yen from 142.79.

The overall market sentiment was influenced by various factors, including the BOJ's policy decision and movements in oil prices.

On the preceding day, the S&P 500 rose by 0.5% to 4,740.56, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% to 14,904.81. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished essentially flat at 37,306.02, with most of a 0.2% gain fading by late afternoon.

Retailers and significant technology companies, including Amazon.com and Etsy, were among the notable gainers. Chipmaker Nvidia, Meta, and Netflix also closed higher, contributing to the overall market performance.

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