Australian Market Report of April 16, 2010: US Positive Lead Ignored
Asian markets mostly opened lower today despite Wall Street gained for its sixth straight day on Thursday. Australian shares fell slightly as the market is taking a breather after rallies in the past several days. Yesterday Asian shares were encouraged by China's first quarter economic growth. China's National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday that its economy surged by 11.9 per cent in the March quarter, up from 10.7 per cent in the final three months of 2009. Japan's Nikkei 225 Average rose 0.6 per cent and South Korea's Kospi was up 0.5 per cent. Hong Kong and Australia markets posted small gains. China's Shanghai Composite ended flat.