“Asia will be better braced to cope with omicron waves, which may prove to be more short-lived," said Wai Ho Leong, a strategist at Modular Asset Management. For some, China’s proven success in stamping out the virus when found means investors there have little to worry about from omicron. China’s lockdowns remain local but could become more widespread. “The odds of a China growth shock because of omicron and Covid Zero are steadily rising by the day," Oanda’s Halley wrote. So far this year, Japan’s blue-chip index Nikkei 225 has underperformed the Asia benchmark by about three percentage points.

Source: Mint January 16, 2022 12:06 UTC