Asian stocks close Thursday on high note

By Tuba Ongun

ANKARA (AA) - Major Asian stock exchanges closed Thursday on a high note.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, was up 0.37% to 3,391.06 points as of 1100 GMT.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong exchange, surged 1.27% to 19,948 points.

The S&P Global Hong Kong purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined to a three-month low of 52.4 in April from 53.5 in March.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) hiked the base rate by 25 basis points to 5.5% on Thursday, following the US Federal Reserve's move to deliver 25 points of a rate hike.

China's Shanghai Stock Exchange also gained 0.82% to close at 3,350, returning from a holiday-extended weekend.

The Caixin China General Manufacturing PMI surprisingly decreased to 49.5 in April from 50 in March, bucking market forecasts amid an ongoing property downturn and fears of a global slowdown.

India's Sensex benchmark increased 0.91% to close at 61,749.

The Singapore index went up by 0.22% to 3,269 points at Thursday close.

The S&P Global Singapore PMI rose from 52.6 in March to 55.3 in April, the highest level since last November.