Asian markets close Wednesday mixed

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Major Asian stock markets closed Wednesday mixed with a decline in China's coronavirus cases which has boosted investor sentiment.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, rose 5.3 points, or 0.16%, to around 3,260.34 at 0920GMT.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange increased 46.5 points, or 0.18%, to 26,214 at the day’s close.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, was the best performer of the day, surging 190.88 points or 0.97%, to 18,824.

China’s Shanghai stock Exchange rose 22.86 points or 0.75%, to 3,058.

Annual consumer inflation in the world's second largest economy climbed to 2.1% in April, beating market estimates of 1.8%, China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced on Wednesday.

The figure has been the highest since last November, driven largely by logistics disruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns in major cities.

On the other hand, the Indian Sensex benchmark declined 341.6 points, or 0.63%, to close at 54,023, while the Singapore index was down 5 points, or 0.16%, to 3,229.