On Tuesday morning (22 July, 9:26 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed, with Japanese markets surging on their first day back following weekend election results that saw the ruling coalition losing its upper house majority.
Meanwhile, investors globally are weighing the strength of U.S. corporate earnings, as tariff concerns linger—this comes after two major Wall Street indices notched fresh record highs in the previous session.
As reported by Reuters, South Korea’s finance and trade officials are scheduled to meet with the U.S. for trade talks this Friday, amid fresh U.S. tariffs of 25% on Korean imports set to take effect August 1—a rate previously imposed in April under President Trump. Moreover, foreign and industry ministers from the Asian country are also expected to travel to Washington for further discussions this week.
Japan’s NIKKEI surged by 0.22% to 39,908.66. Australia’s ASX 200 grew by 0.14% to 8,680.6, while South Korea’s KOSPI dropped by 0.37% to 3,198.94.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.14% to 3,554.68. Hong Kong’s HSI dipped by 0.05% to 24,982.11, while Shenzhen’s SZI rose by 0.1% to 11,018.27.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Monday as NASDAQ gained 0.38% to 20,974.17. S&P 500 added 0.14% to 6,305.6, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) declined by 0.04% to 44,323.07. VIX jumped by 1.46% to 16.65.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Monday as traders shrugged off the latest round of European sanctions targeting Russian crude, viewing the measures as unlikely to significantly disrupt global supplies. The decline was restrained, however, by growing concerns over a potential shortfall in diesel stocks. Brent futures lost 7 cents or 0.1% to $69.21 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) decreased 14 cents or 0.2% to $67.20 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures contracted 59 cents or 0.85% to $68.62 a barrel, and the WTI futures fell 50 cents or 0.74% to $66.7 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures shrank by 0.11% to $3,402.8 per Troy ounce.
