On Wednesday morning (24 December, 9:13 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia Pacific exhibited a varied performance, with Wall Street extending gains for the fourth consecutive session as the tech and AI rally continued.
The U.S. economy outpaced forecasts in the third quarter of 2025, expanding at a 4.3% annualized clip as consumers accelerated their spending. This preliminary estimate contrasted with the 3.3% increase predicted by economists polled by Reuters, and followed growth of 3.8% in the second quarter.
A considerable portion of the surge in consumer spending was concentrated in the run-up to the September 30 expiration of tax credits for electric vehicles, prompting a last-minute buying spree.
Notably, markets in Hong Kong and Australia are poised to close early for the Christmas Eve holiday.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 0.25% to 50,539.95. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 0.21% to 4,126.08, while Australia’s ASX 200 fell by 0.58% to 8,744.80.
As for stocks in China, Shenzhen’s SZI climbed by 0.03% to 13,373.58. Hong Kong’s HSI increased by 0.15% to 25,812.56, while Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.05% to 3,918.11.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged by 0.16% to 48,442.41. NASDAQ gained 0.57% to 23,561.84, and S&P 500 added 0.46% to 6,909.79. VIX dropped by 0.57% to 14.00.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Tuesday, with investors weighing robust U.S. economic data alongside potential supply disruptions from Venezuela and Russia. Brent crude ended the session up 31 cents, or 0.5%, at $62.38 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude advanced 37 cents, or 0.64%, to $58.38.
This morning, Brent crude futures remained unchanged at $62.38 per barrel, and the WTI dipped 1 cent, or 0.02%, to $58.37 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures expanded by 0.86% to $4,544.30 per Troy ounce.
