On Monday morning (9 February, 9:16 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia Pacific increased across the board, led by Japan’s Nikkei, which rose to a record high.
Japanese shares soared to unprecedented levels in the early session, driven by strengthened political stability after the Liberal Democratic Party, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, secured a significant electoral victory. Investors responded positively to the outcome, which signaled policy continuity and heightened the appeal of the country’s equities.
The Nikkei 225 index surged close to a record 57,337, while the Topix index climbed more than 3%, also reaching an all-time high. Market participants viewed the landslide result as supportive of ongoing economic measures, contributing to robust gains in Japanese stocks across the session.
Japan’s NIKKEI jumped by 4.52% to 56,706.77. South Korea’s KOSPI soared by 4.18% to 5,301.67, and Australia’s ASX 200 grew by 1.88% to 8,872.30.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC surged by 0.95% to 4,104.39. Shenzhen’s SZI advanced by 1.38% to 14,099.14, and Hong Kong’s HSI gained 1.35% to 26,917.29.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) added 2.47% to 50,115.67. NASDAQ increased by 2.18% to 23,031.21, and S&P 500 escalated by 1.97% to 6,932.30. VIX slumped by 18.42% to 17.76.
As for commodities, oil prices declined at the start of the week after the United States and Iran agreed to resume discussions on Tehran’s nuclear activities, easing investor worries about potential tensions that could threaten oil flows from the Middle East. Brent crude futures dropped by 46 cents, or 0.68%, to $67.59 per barrel, and the WTI lost 40 cents, or 0.63%, to $63.15 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures expanded by 0.43% to $5,001.30 per Troy ounce.
