Shanghai drove equities in the region to a 10-week high yesterday with financials and brokerages boosted by China announcing a long-awaited launch date for stock index futures trading.

上海股市昨日推动亚太股指攀上10周高位。中国宣布了人们期待已久的推出股指期货的日期，为金融及券商股带来利好。

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On Wednesday investors in the region fled equities following confirmation of the rate hike, dragging down Europe's main stock-market indexes, which were on average 1.9% lower in afternoon trading.

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Citigroup now covers over 18 foreign exchange, equities, credit and interest rates markets in the Asia Pacific region.

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Plus, the region's wealthy individuals, who have traditionally favored equities, will continue to allocate more of their portfolios to bonds, he said.

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