On Wednesday morning (14 January, 9:05 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in the Asia Pacific exhibited an upward trend, with Japanese equities maintaining their rally as a declining yen offered further support. The surge in Japanese shares and the weakening currency followed reports regarding a potential snap election.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock indices slipped after December inflation figures failed to significantly alter forecasts that the Federal Reserve will hold off on cutting interest rates. Market participants remain focused on the Fed’s trajectory, as last month’s cooler-than-anticipated U.S. consumer price index readings bolstered expectations among bond traders that further rate reductions will likely be postponed until mid-2026.
Despite the Fed delivering three rate cuts last year under Chair Jerome Powell, the markets continue to price in the next move as occurring around the middle of 2026.
Attention also turns to the U.S. Supreme Court on a decision concerning the global tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in April. A ruling against the current tariff implementation could prompt volatility, as markets assess the administration’s next steps, although alternative legal mechanisms for maintaining the majority of levies remain available.
South Korea’s KOSPI declined by 0.16% to 4,685.30. Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.12% to 8,797.90, while Japan’s NIKKEI jumped by 1.41% to 54,302.91.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC surged by 0.39% to 4,154.71. Shenzhen’s SZI increased by 1.13% to 14,328.75, and Hong Kong’s HSI rose by 0.32% to 26,933.50.
The U.S. stock markets edged down on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) decreased by 0.80% to 49,191.99. NASDAQ lost 0.10% to 23,709.87, and S&P 500 dropped by 0.19% to 6,963.74. VIX soared by 5.69% to 15.98.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Tuesday, driven by concerns over potential interruptions to Iranian oil shipments, which outweighed expectations of higher output from Venezuela. Brent crude rose $1.60, or 2.5%, to close at $65.47 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude advanced $1.65, or approximately 2.8%, settling at $61.15 per barrel.
This morning, Brent crude futures fell 18 cents, or 0.27%, to $65.29 per barrel, and the WTI diminished 19 cents, or 0.31%, to $60.96 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures grew by 0.61% to $4,627.00 per Troy ounce.
