Forex News

The China stock market has alternated between positive and negative finishes through the last five trading days since the end of the two-day losing streak in which it had slipped almost 50 points or 0.8 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index now rests just above the 3,280-point plateau and it may add to its winnings on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets finished firmly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion. The SCI finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the resource stocks, weakness from the properties and a mixed picture from the financial sector. For the day, the index advanced 23.49 points or 0.72 percent to finish at 3,284.16 after trading between 3,252.63 and 3,285.09. The Shenzhen Composite Index climbed 25.82 points or 1.19 percent to end at 2,190.54. Among the actives, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China shed 0.46 percent, while Bank of China lost 0.62 percent, China Construction Bank fell 0.36 percent, China Merchants Bank fell 0.36 percent, Bank of Communications shed 0.41 percent, China Life Insurance climbed 1.08 percent, Jiangxi Copper advanced 1.01 percent, Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) improved 0.95 percent, Yankuang Energy dropped 0.96 percent, PetroChina perked 0.19 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) dipped 0.22 percent, Huaneng Power plunged3.94 percent, China Shenhua Energy sank 0.97 percent, Gemdale strengthened 1.03 percent, Poly Developments retreated 1.33 percent, China Vanke eased 0.06 percent, China Fortune Land declined 1.10 percent, Beijing Capital Development was down 0.37 percent and China Minsheng Bank was unchanged.

The Taiwan stock market has finished lower in three straight sessions, slumping more than 70 points or 0.5 percent along the way. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just beneath the 15,550-point plateau although it figures to stop the bleeding on Tuesday.

The Singapore stock market headed south again on Monday, one session after ending the two-day losing streak in which it had slumped more than 25 points or 0.7 percent. The Straits Times Index now rests just beneath the 3,325-point plateau although it figures to bounce higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets finished firmly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion.

The Malaysia stock market has finished higher in back-to-back sessions, gathering more than 20 points or 1.4 percent along the way. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now rests just above the 1,475-point plateau and it's expected to extend its gains on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets finished firmly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion.

The South Korea stock market has moved lower in three straight sessions, slipping more than 30 points or 1.3 percent along the way. The KOSPI now rests just above the 2,450-point plateau although it may stop the bleeding on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets finished firmly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion. The KOSPI finished modestly lower on Monday following losses from the technology stocks and mixed performances from the oil, financial and industrial groups For the day, the index sank 17.03 points or 0.69 percent to finish at 2,452.70 after trading between 2,441.29 and 2,462.58. Volume was 480.0 million shares worth 7.27 trillion won. There were 530 decliners and 340 gainers. Among the actives, Shinhan Financial lost 0.73 percent, while KB Financial sank 0.72 percent, Hana Financial collected 0.31 percent, Samsung Electronics perked 0.16 percent, Samsung SDI retreated 1.63 percent, LG Electronics plunged 3.07 percent, SK Hynix tanked 3.10 percent, Naver plunged 3.04 percent, LG Chem shed 0.45 percent, Lotte Chemical surged 3.73 percent, S-Oil advanced 1.16 percent, SK Innovation rallied 1.08 percent, POSCO strengthened 1.50 percent, SK Telecom improved 1.49 percent, KEPCO gathered 0.78 percent, Hyundai Mobis dipped 0.24 percent, Hyundai Motor skidded 1.04 percent and Kia Motors climbed 1.10 percent.

Japan will on Tuesday release preliminary Q4 numbers for gross domestic product, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. GDP is expected to expand 0.5 percent on quarter and 2.0 percent on year after sinking 0.2 percent on quarter and 0.8 percent on year.