March 31, 2022: -Shares in Asia-Pacific were broadly higher on Wednesday, as mainland Chinese stocks led gains regionally.
Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite 1.96% is increasing the day to 3,266.60, while the Shenzhen component surged 3.1% to 12,263.80.
Hong Kong’s broader Hang Seng index increased 1.39% to close at 22,232.03.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong-listed shares of embattled developer Evergrande’s electric vehicle unit dropped 10.8% after they resumed trading. Meanwhile, Hong Kong-listed shares of China Evergrande Group will remain suspended until further notice, according to a Tuesday announcement by the firm.
In Hong Kong, streaming firms Kuaishou and Bilibili declined by 6.24% and 2.48%. Those losses came on a Wall Street Journal report that China is planning new restrictions for its live-streaming sector. The Hang Seng Tech index is climbing 0.34% to 4,622.57.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.21% to close at 2,746.74. The S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.67% in Australia to end the trading day at 7,514.50.
Japanese stocks lagged the broader region as the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.8% to close at 28,027.25, with shares of telecommunications firm KDDI falling over 4%. The Topix index shed 1.21% to 1,967.60.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 1.3%.
On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury yields also continued to be monitored by investors, with markets now watching the spread amid the 2-year and 10-year rates for a potential inversion after the 5-year and 30-year rates inverted since 2006.
Yields move inversely to prices. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note last sat at 2.378%, while the work on the 30-year Treasury bond was 2.4989%. The 5-year Treasury note yield was at 2.4566%, while the 2-year Treasury note’s yield sat at 2.3123%.
An inversion of the yield curve has happened ahead of recessions, with the purchase of more long-dated Treasurys seen as a sign of investor concern over the economy’s health.
Still, UBS Global Wealth Management’s Kelvin Tay said the 10-year Treasury yield had been “distorted” due to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s massive balance sheet of nearly $9 trillion.
