Asian Shares Mixed as China Holds LPR Unchanged

Stock markets in Asia were mixed on Monday, after the People’s Bank of China maintained the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) unchanged at 4.15% for January. The five-year LPR was also left unchanged at 4.80%. The Shanghai composite gained 15 points or 0.5% higher to 3,091, at around 02:25 PM China time. Amid concerns over a coronavirus outbreak in the the country, shares of Jiangshu Bioengineering, Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical and a facial face maker Shanghai Dragon surged 10% each. Japan’s Nikkei rose 42 points or 0.2% to end at 24,083. The KOSPI index in South Korea rose 13 points or 0.6% higher to settle 2,263, Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 170 points or 0.6% lower at around 29,057, at around 02:32 PM Hong Kong time. Also, India’s BSE Sensex fell 176 points or 0.42% to 41,767, at around 12:35 PM India time.