Asian stock markets close day in positive territory

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - Almost all major stock markets in Asia posted positive figures on Wednesday, except for Singapore's stock exchange.

Stock markets remained calm as fears about the omicron variant of the coronavirus eased. However, news regarding the real estate sector in China continued to increase volatility in asset prices.

After the Chinese real estate company Evergrande failed to pay its debts, property developer Kaisa Group Holdings requested the suspension of its shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Meanwhile, the Japanese economy contracted by 3.6% annually in the third quarter.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, rose by 15.15 points, or 0.40%, to close at nearly 3,803 points.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock exchange also climbed 405 points, or 1.42%, to 28,860.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, on the other hand, was up by 13.21 points, or 0.06%, to 23,996.

China's Shanghai stock exchange increased 42.48 points, or 1.18%, to 3,637 points, while the Singapore index fell 3.37% to 3,131 points.