On Thursday morning (7 August, 9:28 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific increased after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips, while indicating that firms manufacturing in the United States would avoid the levy.
However, specifics regarding the level of domestic production required for exemption were not yet disclosed.
Japan’s NIKKEI added 0.88% to 41,153.34. South Korea’s KOSPI gained 0.41% to 3,211.3, while Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.1% to 8,834.7.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC rose by 0.11% to 3,638.08. Hong Kong’s HSI grew by 0.36% to 24,999.89, while Shenzhen’s SZI dipped by 0.26% to 11,148.6.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged by 0.18% to 44,193.12. NASDAQ jumped by 1.21% to 21,169.42, and S&P 500 increased by 0.73% to 6,345.06. VIX slumped by 6.05% to 16.77.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Wednesday, reaching their lowest levels in eight weeks, after comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting advances in discussions with Moscow cast doubt over the prospect of fresh American sanctions against Russia. Brent futures dropped 75 cents or 1.1% to $66.89 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) decreased 81 cents or 1.2% to $64.35 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures gained 59 cents or 0.88% to $67.48 a barrel, and the WTI futures expanded 61 cents or 0.95% to $64.96 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures advanced by 0.33% to $3,444.6 per Troy ounce.
