Asia markets mixed after Fed chief’s rate comments and Greek reforms

A businessman uses his mobile phones before a share prices board in Tokyo. Japanese stocks closed down 0.10% at 18,585.20 points yesterday.AFP/TokyoAsian stocks ended mixed yesterday despite another record close on Wall Street, after Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen dampened speculation of a rate rise before summer and as eurozone finance ministers backed Greek reforms. Sydney rose 0.30%, or 17.92 points, to 5,944.90, and Seoul added 0.73%, or 14.35 points, to finish at 1,990.47. Tokyo closed 0.10%, or 18.28 points, lower at 18,585.20 as investors took profits after a five-day winning streak. In other markets, Wellington rallied 2.09%, or 119.33 points, to close at 5,842.29; Air New Zealand led the way, surging 7.18% after a strong interim profit result, while Fletcher Building was up 3.80% at NZ$8.75. Taipei rose 0.73%, or 70.17 points, to 9,699.54; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing was up 2.32% to Tw$154.5 while smartphone maker HTC fell 1.01% to Tw$147.5. Manila rose 0.12%, or 9.20 points, to 7,844.06; Ayala Land rose 1.76% to 37.65 pesos while top-traded Universal Robina fell 1.56% to 214.60 pesos. Singapore ended flat, adding 3.22 points to close at 3,440.83; OCBC Bank advanced 0.19% to Sg$10.63 while DBS Bank rose 0.25% to Sg$19.82. Kuala Lumpur dropped 0.16%, or 2.82 points, to close at 1,815.86; Genting Malaysia lost 0.49% to 4.08 ringgit, Cycle & Carriage Bintang fell 4.39% to 1.96 ringgit, while AMMB Holdings added 0.16% to 6.36 ringgit. Jakarta ended up 0.51%, or 27.79 points, at 5,445.11; Agri-food firm Japfa Comfeed Indonesia gained 6.10% to 870 rupiah, while state-owned gas firm Perusahaan Gas Negara slipped 1.83% to 5,375 rupiah. Bangkok closed down 0.58%, or 9.33 points, at 1,589.33; telecoms company Advanced Info Service dropped 4.22% to 227baht, while Bangchak Petroleum gained 3.88% to 33.50 baht. “The two potential international risk events for markets had positive outcomes,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. “Janet Yellen’s testimony moved expectations for a rate hike out in time while the boxes were ticked to cement a four-month funding programme for Greece.” Chinese markets also rose at the open on the first day of trade after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. But Shanghai quickly reversed course to close down 0.56% despite a survey showing Chinese factory activity expanded in February, snapping two consecutive months of contraction. Hong Kong, meanwhile, added 0.11%, or 28.21 points, to close at 24.778.28. Global markets zeroed in on the start of Yellen’s two days of congressional testimony, where she signalled that the Fed was preparing for a rate rise this year but hinted such a move would not come before June. “The reaction of the market (to Yellen’s testimony) is weaker dollar, lower yields, higher equities—the classic reaction you’d see from a slightly dovish Fed,” Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at currency brokerage Commonwealth Foreign Exchange, told Bloomberg News. Speculation has been rising over when the central bank would raise rates amid growing optimism over the state of the US economy. But Yellen said the labour market still showed cyclical weakness and inflation continued to slow, adding that uncertainty over China and Europe posed a risk for the world’s top economy—supporting the need to keep loose monetary policy in place a bit longer. Wall Street embraced the comments, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader S&P 500 both closing at record highs. European stocks also rose strongly, with a record close in London, as eurozone finance chiefs backed a four-month extension of Greece’s bailout. Despite reservations expressed by the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank over the plan, eurozone ministers also signed off on promised reforms which Greece’s new left-wing government submitted to its international creditors. Several parliaments, including in pro-austerity Germany, must now approve the extension before the current bailout expires on Saturday, while key details will be hammered out in the coming weeks. The euro gained in Asian trading at $1.1375 and ¥135.03, against $1.1342 and ¥134.90 in New York. Yellen’s rate-hike comments helped push the dollar down to ¥118.71 against ¥118.94 in US trade. Oil prices were mixed ahead of a key report expected to show further build-up in US crude inventories, hitting prices in an already oversupplied market, analysts said. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for April delivery fell nine cents to $49.19 while Brent crude for April gained 13 cents to $58.79 in afternoon trade. Gold fetched $1,207.32 an ounce against $1,198.59 late Tuesday.