On Thursday morning (22 Feb, 9:53 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific increased as Japan’s Nikkei hit a record high of 38,924.88, the highest since 1989. Investors also evaluated Japan’s Jibun Bank flash purchasing managers’ index reading for February as it showed the continuation of the decline in business activity.
Japan’s NIKKEI soared by 1.7% to 38,913.84. South Korea’s KOSPI edged up by 0.3% to 2,661.17, while Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.08% to 7,602.4.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC rose by 0.37% to 2,961.97. Hong Kong’s HSI grew by 0.11% to 16,520.48, and Shenzhen’s SZI surged by 0.13% to 8,988.04.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 0.13% to 38,612.24. S&P 500 increased by 0.13% to 4,981.8, while NASDAQ declined by 0.32% to 15,580.87. VIX dropped by 0.52% to 15.34.
As for commodities, oil prices edged higher on Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East continued, while the US Federal Reserve also showed concerns that it should not cut interest rates too soon. Brent climbed 69 cents or 0.8% to $83.03 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 87 cents or 1.1% to $77.91 a barrel.
This morning, Brent edged up 3 cents or 0.04% to $83.06 a barrel, and WTI rose 8 cents or 0.1% to $77.99 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed by 0.14% to $2,037.1 per Troy ounce.
