Japan stocks end higher after Bank of Japan allows greater flexibility on yield

Japan stocks ended the session higher after the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy decision, while other Asia-Pacific markets fell as manufacturing activity unexpectedly contracted in China. The Bank of Japan left its short-term lending rate unchanged and said it has made its yield curve control policy more flexible. Elsewhere Tuesday, China manufacturing purchasing manager’s index data for October came in at 49.5 against a Reuters poll expectation of 50.2. A PMI reading below 50 signifies a contraction. Japan’s Nikkei 225 reversed earlier declines to end 0.53% higher at 30,858.85, while the Topix ended 1.01% up at 2,253.72. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.41% to 2,277.99 and the Kosdaq dropped 2.78% to 736.10. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 1.69% in its final hour of trade, while mainland China’s CSI 300 index shed 0.31% and snapped a five-day winning streak, ending at 3,572.5. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day up 0.12% at 6,780.7, rebounding off its year low U.S. stocks rallied on Monday, with the S&P 500 ending the day out of correction territory, as traders started a big week filled with a Federal Reserve rate decision, employment report and Apple’s earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.58%, clocking its best day since June 2. The S&P 500 jumped 1.2%, its best performance since late August. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.16%.