On Friday morning (5 July, 9:25 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as Japan’s Nikkei extended gains to exceed 41,000 points during the trading session, following the country’s household spending in May, which saw an unexpected 1.8% decrease in real terms compared to the previous year and contrary to economists’ forecast of a 0.1% increase polled by Reuters.
Japan’s NIKKEI climbed by 0.06% to 40,937.43. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 0.95% to 2,851.71, while Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.05% to 7,827.7.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC dropped by 0.67% to 2,937.8. Shenzhen’s SZI declined by 0.58% to 8,623.41, and Hong Kong’s HSI contracted by 0.25% to 17,982.49.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were closed on Thursday for the Independence Day holiday.
As for commodities, oil prices moved slightly upward on Thursday to their highest level since April, exceeding $87 and maintaining momentum following a decrease in U.S. inventories as indicated by recent data. Brent futures edged up 21 cents or 0.2% to $87.55 a barrel by 1922 GMT, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 18 cents or 0.21% to $84.06 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures decreased 25 cents or 0.29% to $87.18 a barrel, and the WTI lost 12 cents or 0.14% to $83.76 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures slid by 0.05% to $2,368.2 per Troy ounce.
