With coronavirus cases hitting record highs, many countries are trying to limit the economic damage by relaxing rules on isolation rather than resorting to lockdowns.

Asian stocks slipped on Wednesday, following a mixed Wall Street session as the region's investors positioned their portfolios for the new year and continued to grapple with increasing global numbers of Omicron coronavirus cases.

The IDXTECHNO subindex of technology companies saw the strongest gains, and a tech company delivered the biggest IPO ever on Indonesia’s bourse.

As the worst fears of the Omicron's impact have subsided, investors have been returning to risk assets.

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), in collaboration with the Indonesian Biodiversity Conservation Trust Fund (Kehati) Foundation, has launched two indexes based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores to cater to increasing demand for responsible investment products.

US consumer confidence further improved in December, and the White House was resuming talks on a massive social spending and climate change bill.

Equities stabilized and oil prices saw a much-needed gain Tuesday after their latest flop as bargain-buyers moved in, though investors remain fixated on the fast-spreading Omicron variant and moves to contain it over the festive period.

Asian share markets fell and oil prices slid on Monday as surging Omicron cases triggered tighter restrictions in Europe and threatened to drag on the global economy into the new year.

With inflation expected to remain high for some time, the US central bank is likely to raise interest rates soon after it ends its bond-buying program in March, a Federal Reserve board member said Friday.

Asian equities mostly fell Friday, pulling back from the previous day's rally as traders consider central bank plans to combat soaring inflation by ending the era of ultra-cheap cash, while also navigating a COVID-19 infection spike that threatens an already fragile economic recovery.

Most Asian markets rose Thursday and the dollar held gains after the Federal Reserve laid out a more hawkish path by speeding up the taper of its pandemic financial support and indicated a number of interest rate hikes over the coming years.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.46 percent.

The Fed is widely expected to signal a faster tapering of asset buying this week, and thus an earlier start to rate hikes

The dollar was firm on Friday ahead of US inflation figures, which could settle the course of interest rates, while the Chinese yuan was nursing its sharpest drop in months after a nudge lower from authorities triggered a slide.

Asian stocks opened higher on Tuesday as investors took heart from strong rebounds on Wall Street on hopes that the newest coronavirus variant will prove less dangerous than previously feared.

While analysts warn of lower crude palm oil (CPO) prices next year, producers remain hopeful at least for the first half of 2022.

Asian markets broadly fell in morning trading Monday, tracking uncertainty over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as well as disappointing US jobs data and the future of Chinese tech firms on Wall Street.

Preventing speculation and excessive increases in property and land prices is crucial for development of the new capital city, experts say.

Stocks fell on Friday after Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi said it would delist in New York, renewing concern about US-China tensions and tech regulation, while oil headed for a sixth consecutive weekly drop on Omicron and rate hike worries.

The Baltic Dry Index has fallen to a level last seen in early June, reflecting improvements in global supply chains.

Demand for electricity has started to rebound as COVID-19 infections continue to decline, restrictions are eased and manufacturing activities resume.

Bank Indonesia (BI) estimates e-commerce transactions to grow 31.4 percent annually to Rp 530 trillion (US$37 billion) next year.

The main Indonesian stock index clawed back some of Friday’s losses on Monday, defying the downward trend seen in other stock indices.

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar rose 0.37 percent to US$0.7139, recovering after a 1 percent tumble on Friday that saw it dip to $0.71125 for the first time since Aug. 20.

Asian markets fell again Monday but oil rebounded strongly as investors try to assess the threat of the new Omicron Covid strain on the global economic recovery.

Equity markets in Asia were mixed in edgy trade Thursday as a batch of strong economic data spurred expectations that the Federal Reserve will withdraw its vast financial support and lift interest rates earlier than thought.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.18 percent to a six-week low.

The state-owned electricity monopolist says investment opportunities in clean energy projects are wide open.

Asian markets fell Wednesday as investors extended a run of weakness, with inflation worries and expectations of tighter central bank monetary policy the center of attention.

The XIDR is to compete with the like of the Rupiah Token and Binance IDR to be the top rupiah-denominated stablecoin.