On Friday morning (22 August, 9:16 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific exhibited an upward trend ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.
In Japan, the country’s core inflation slowed in July to 3.1%, down from June’s 3.3%. The moderation was partly attributed to softer rice prices, coming in slightly above the 3% forecast in a Reuters survey.
Overall headline inflation mirrored the movement in the core index, sliding to 3.1% from June’s 3.3%—the softest pace since November 2024.
Japan’s NIKKEI climbed by 0.05% to 42,630.22. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.94% to 3,171.34, while Australia’s ASX 200 fell by 0.32% to 8,990.3.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC added 0.26% to 3,780.86. Hong Kong’s HSI surged by 0.32% to 25,184.93, and Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.42% to 11,969.31.
The U.S. stock markets edged down on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) declined by 0.34% to 44,785.5. NASDAQ dropped by 0.34% to 21,100.31, and S&P 500 lost 0.4% to 6,370.17. VIX jumped by 5.8% to 16.6.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Thursday as tensions between Russia and Ukraine dampened market optimism about a possible resolution to the conflict. Hopes for a quick diplomatic breakthrough faded after both sides accused each other of delaying peace talks, while fresh U.S. data pointed to robust demand. Brent futures increased 83 cents or 1.2% to $67.67 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 81 cents or 1.3% to $63.52 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures slid 20 cents or 0.3% to $67.47 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dipped 14 cents or 0.22% to $63.38 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures contracted by 0.11% to $3,377.8 per Troy ounce.
