Asian stock markets close Thursday mixed

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Major Asian stock markets closed mixed on Thursday amid the expectations of a less aggressive US monetary tightening and a swift reopening in China.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, increased 0.33% for a reading of 3,555.37 points.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.12% to close at 27,362.75 points, snapping a four-day winning streak.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, surged 2.37% to 22,566.78 points, its highest close since last March.

Hong Kong's exports dove 28.9% from a year earlier to $348.1 billion in December 2022, while imports plummeted 23.5% to $399.7 billion in the same period.

India's Sensex benchmark slipped 1.27% to close at 60,205.06, while the Singapore index increased 0.73% to 3,377.19.

Singapore’s manufacturing output decreased 3.1% year-on-year in December 2022, after an upwardly revised 3.8% drop in November.

Due to the Lunar New Year holidays, indexes are closed in China throughout the week.