On Friday morning (5 Apr, 9:30 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific decreased and conformed to the US markets, as investors raised concerns over the fact that the US Federal Reserve could hold off rate cuts.
Japan’s NIKKEI slumped by 2.36% to 38,835.97. South Korea’s KOSPI decreased by 1.23% to 2,708.38, and Australia’s ASX 200 dropped by 0.89% to 7,747.6.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.18% to 3,069.3. Shenzhen’s SZI contracted by 0.44% to 9,544.77, and Hong Kong’s HSI declined by 0.78% to 16,595.18.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dipped by 1.35% to 38,596.98. NASDAQ fell by 1.4% to 16,049.08, and S&P 500 edged down by 1.23% to 5,147.21. VIX jumped by 14.1% to 16.35.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Thursday as they were supported by geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East, tightening supply concerns, and positive expectations for global oil demand. Brent increased $1.30 or 1.5% to $90.65 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained $1.16 or 1.4% to $86.59 a barrel.
This morning, Brent gained 29 cents or 0.32% to $90.94 a barrel, and WTI increased 12 cents or 0.14% to $86.71 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures slid by 0.75% to $2,291.2 per Troy ounce.
