On Wednesday morning (7 January, 8:41 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia Pacific traded mixed as investors examined the latest inflation figures from Australia.
The nation’s Consumer Price Index increased by 3.4% year-on-year in November, falling short of the 3.7% forecast in a Reuters poll and down from the 3.8% recorded in October.
Inflation remained steady on a monthly basis compared to October, indicating that price pressures could be subsiding and possibly reducing the likelihood of further interest rate increases.
South Korea’s KOSPI advanced by 0.86% to 4,564.46. Australia’s ASX 200 climbed by 0.21% to 8,700.80, while Japan’s NIKKEI fell by 0.25% to 52,386.91.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC opened relatively flat at 4,083.84. Shenzhen’s SZI expanded by 0.28% to 14,062.02, while Hong Kong’s HSI dipped by 0.41% to 26,601.83.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) increased by 0.99% to 49,462.08. NASDAQ rose by 0.65% to 23,547.17, and S&P 500 grew by 0.62% to 6,944.82. VIX dropped by 1.01% to 14.75.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as traders considered forecasts for abundant global supply throughout the year, alongside uncertainty over Venezuelan crude production following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Brent crude futures declined $1.06, or 1.7%, to close at $60.70 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped $1.19, or 2%, to settle at $57.13 per barrel.
This morning, Brent crude futures lost 55 cents, or 0.91%, to $60.15 per barrel, and the WTI slumped by 71 cents, or 1.24%, to $56.42 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures declined 0.24% to $4,485.50 per Troy ounce.
