On Friday morning (18 July, 9:24 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as investors digested upbeat economic indicators from the United States and a series of robust corporate earnings on Wall Street.
U.S. jobless claims declined by 7,000 to 221,000 last week, signaling ongoing job growth in July. However, some workers are facing longer unemployment periods as hiring slows. The latest figure came in below economists’ expectations of 235,000.
Retail sales climbed by 0.6% in June, rebounding more sharply than the 0.1% rise anticipated in a Reuters poll and following May’s 0.9% decline. The figures indicate a pickup in consumer demand, potentially supporting the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold off on rate cuts as it continues to assess the inflationary impact of import tariffs.
In Japan, core inflation slowed to 3.3% in June, easing from 3.7% seen in the previous month, largely due to moderating rice prices. The reading, which excludes volatile fresh food costs, matched economist expectations. Additionally, headline inflation also slipped to 3.3% from 3.5% in May.
Japan’s NIKKEI declined by 0.32% to 39,774.28. South Korea’s KOSPI dropped by 0.67% to 3,170.85, while Australia’s ASX 200 increased by 0.62% to 8,692.3.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC climbed by 0.21% to 3,524.1. Hong Kong’s HSI grew by 0.93% to 24,727.06, and Shenzhen’s SZI expanded by 0.26% to 10,902.35.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) escalated by 0.52% to 44,484.49. NASDAQ surged by 0.75% to 20,885.65, and S&P 500 rose by 0.54% to 6,297.36. VIX plummeted by 3.73% to 16.52.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Thursday, supported by heightened supply risks following a fourth consecutive day of drone attacks targeting oil fields in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Authorities suspect Iran-backed militias are responsible, though no group has officially claimed the strikes. Brent futures added $1.00 or 1.46% to $69.52 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained $1.16 or 1.75% to $67.54 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures edged up 1 cent or 0.01% to $69.53 a barrel, while the WTI futures dipped 1 cent or 0.01% to $67.53 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures increased by 0.11% to $3,348.9 per Troy ounce.
