Asian Shares Advance On China Optimism

Asian stocks advanced on Monday after Chinese regulators announced new measures to bolster the country’s equity market and property sector.

China’s securities regulator announced over the weekend that it would halt the lending of certain shares for short selling beginning Monday.

In another development, the southern city of Guangzhou eased home-buying restrictions as part of measures to boost the property sector.

Regional gains, however, remain capped ahead of a busy week of earnings, economic data releases and central bank decisions.

The U.S. dollar held steady in Asian trading as focus shifted to Wednesday’s FOMC meeting as well as a slew of economic data due this week, including jobless claims data and the payroll report that will help gauge the strength of the labor market.

Oil prices climbed as tensions escalated in the Middle East. U.S. President Joe Biden vowed retaliation after missiles launched by Iran-backed militants killed U.S. troops in Jordan and struck a fuel tanker in the Red Sea.

China’s Shanghai Composite Index fluctuated before finishing 0.9 percent lower at 2,883.36 as a court ordered China Evergrande Group to undergo liquidation. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.8 percent to 16,077.24.

Japanese shares rose notably as a cheaper yen boosted exporters and energy shares were lifted by higher oil prices. The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 0.8 percent to 36,026.94, while the broader Topix Index settled 1.3 percent higher at 2,529.48.

Seoul stocks rallied, with the Kospi climbing 0.9 percent to 2,500.65 – gaining for a third consecutive session on institutional and foreign buying.

Samsung Biologics rallied 3.5 percent and SK Biopharmaceuticals surged 6.7 percent following recent legislative moves in the United States Congress to effectively ban Chinese genomics companies from doing business in the U.S.

Automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia soared 4.4 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, while refiner SK Innovation added 3.9 percent.

Australian markets eked out modest gains as higher crude oil prices boosted energy stocks. Property stocks also rose, offsetting weakness in the mining and technology sectors.

The benchmark S&P ASX 200 Index rose 0.3 percent to 7,578.40, while the broader All Ordinaries Index settled 0.3 percent higher at 7,808.30.

Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s benchmark S&P NZX-50 Index closed up 0.3 percent at 11,911.89.

U.S. stocks ended narrowly mixed on Friday after the release of disappointing first-quarter guidance from semiconductor giant Intel and the PCE index for December offering more evidence that inflation continues to moderate.

The Dow inched up 0.2 percent to a new record closing high, while the S&P 500 finished marginally lower and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.4 percent.

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