Asian stock markets close mixed

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) – Asian stock markets closed mixed on Thursday.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, was up 9 points, or 0.27%, to 3,400 points at 0934GMT.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange, on the other hand, decreased 29 points, or 0.11%, to 26,818.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, fell 76 points, or 0.36%, to 20,793.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced earlier that it has raised its base rate by 50 basis points to 1.25%.

China’s Shanghai stock exchange was the best performer of the day, rising 20 points, or 0.68%, to finish at 3,067.

India’s Sensex benchmark gained 68 points, or 0.12%, to reach 55,730, while the Singapore index fell by 5 points, or 0.17%, to 3,343.​​​​​​​