On Friday morning (25 October, 9:14 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific increased as traders assessed Tokyo’s inflation figures in October and monitored Japan’s upcoming general election set for the weekend.
In October, Tokyo’s headline inflation rate dipped to 1.8% from September’s 2.2%, while core inflation, excluding fresh food prices, also decreased to 1.8% from 2%.
Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.32% to 8,232.5. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.39% to 2,591.16, while Japan’s NIKKEI contracted by 1.01% to 37,757.04.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC climbed by 0.09% to 3,283.36. Hong Kong’s HSI grew by 0.71% to 20,635.94, and Shenzhen’s SZI gained 0.55% to 10,498.73.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Thursday as NASDAQ increased by 0.76% to 18,415.49. S&P 500 edged up by 0.21% to 5,809.86, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) decreased by 0.33% to 42,374.36. VIX declined by 0.83% to 19.08.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Thursday, driven by concerns of sluggish economic growth in Europe potentially dampening energy demand. Meanwhile, lingering uncertainties surrounding conflict in the Middle East added to traders’ apprehensions ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Brent futures dropped 58 cents or 0.77% to $74.38 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 58 cents or 0.82% to $70.19 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures gained 19 cents or 0.26% to $74.57 a barrel, and the WTI surged 19 cents or 0.27% to $70.38 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures slid 0.26% to $2,741.8 per Troy ounce.
