On Tuesday morning (21 October, 9:15 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded on a positive note, mirroring gains on Wall Street.
Market participants are closely watching Japan, where a parliamentary vote is expected to confirm Sanae Takaichi as the next prime minister, following support for her from the right-wing Japan Innovation Party on Monday.
Meanwhile, shares of Australian rare earth producers advanced after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.S. President Donald Trump formalized a critical minerals agreement, a move aimed at reducing reliance on China in this sector.
Albanese posted on social media X that the longstanding alliance between Australia and the United States has promoted security and prosperity, and that he and President Trump are working to strengthen this partnership. He emphasized the new arrangement will see both nations invest in Australia’s critical minerals to support U.S. technology, marking a significant chapter in bilateral cooperation.
Japan’s NIKKEI surged by 1.42% to 49,881.65. Australia’s ASX 200 rose by 0.68% to 9,093.2, and South Korea’s KOSPI jumped by 1.91% to 3,887.54.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC increased by 0.64% to 3,888.43. Hong Kong’s HSI gained 1.45% to 26,232.57, and Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 1.16% to 12,962.26.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) escalated by 1.12% to 46,706.58. NASDAQ soared by 1.37% to 22,990.54, and S&P 500 expanded by 1.07% to 6,735.13. VIX slumped by 12.27% to 18.23.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Monday to the lowest levels since early May, as concerns over a possible global oversupply and escalating U.S.-China trade frictions heightened worries about an economic slowdown and reduced energy demand. Brent crude futures declined by 28 cents, or 0.46%, ending the session at $61.01 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures edged lower by 2 cents, or 0.03%, closing at $57.52 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures slid 21 cents, or 0.34%, to $60.8 a barrel, and the WTI declined 30 cents, or 0.52%, to $57.22 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed by 0.08% to $4,362.9 per Troy ounce.
