On Thursday morning (4 Apr, 9:27 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific rebounded after sliding across the region yesterday as investors assessed US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech, stating that the exact period for rate cuts was still uncertain. Meanwhile, investors also kept their eyes on March service sector activity data from India and retail sales figures from Hong Kong, while markets in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan were closed for a public holiday.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 1.58% to 40,075.57. South Korea’s KOSPI increased by 0.89% to 2,731.13, and Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.44% to 7,816.9.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Wednesday as NASDAQ edged up by 0.23% to 16,277.46. S&P 500 grew by 0.11% to 5,211.49, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dipped by 0.11% to 39,127.14. VIX dropped by 1.92% to 14.33.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Wednesday following the continuous pressure from OPEC’s production cuts and concerns over conflicts across the world, including the Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and tensions in the Middle East. Brent gained 43 cents or 0.48% to $89.35 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 28 cents or 0.33% to $85.43 a barrel.
This morning, Brent increased 18 cents or 0.2% to $89.53 a barrel, and WTI rose 18 cents or 0.21% to $85.61 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures gained 0.23% to $2,320.3 per Troy ounce.
