Fly On Wall Street

Asia markets mixed ahead of crunch central bank meetings

Asia-Pacific markets are trading mixed as investors return from a strong week and look forward to major central bank meetings scheduled ahead.

The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) takes place on June 13-14, the European Central Bank meets on Thursday, and the Bank of Japan’s meeting will conclude on Friday.

China’s Shenzhen Component led gains in the region and advanced 1.1%,led by education stocks, while the Shanghai Composite was marginally higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index reversed earlier losses to gain 0.1%.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.52% to close at 32,434, continuing to hover near 33-year highs, while the Topix was up 0.65% to end the day at 2,238.77.

South Korean stocks were lower, with the Kospi sliding 0.47% to end the day at 2,629.35 and be the only major Asian benchmark in the red. The Kosdaq gained 0.23% to end at 885.76.

Australia’s markets were closed for a holiday.

On Wall Street last week, the S&P 500 posted its fourth straight week of gains, and brushed its highest point since August.

All three major U.S. indexes ended the week higher, with the S&P 500 up 0.11%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.13% higher, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 0.16%.

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