On Thursday morning (13 March, 9:40 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed following a weak U.S. inflation data, causing two major indices on Wall Street, including the NASDAQ Composite and the S&P 500, to rebound from a two-day decline.
The U.S. consumer price index rose by a modest 0.2% on a monthly basis in February, bringing the annual inflation rate to 2.8%, as reported by the Labor Department agency. Meanwhile, in January, the all-item CPI had seen a 0.5% growth.
Furthermore, investors will also monitor Indian stocks following the significant decline of inflation rate in the country to a lower-than-anticipated 3.61% in February, primarily driven by a drop in vegetable prices.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 0.96% to 37,167.29. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 0.67% to 2,591.95, while Australia’s ASX 200 remained unchanged at 7,786.2.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.11% to 3,368.13. Hong Kong’s HSI dipped by 0.14% to 23,568, and Shenzhen’s SZI contracted by 0.55% to 10,782.91.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Wednesday as NASDAQ jumped by 1.22% to 17,648.45. S&P 500 increased by 0.49% to 5,599.3, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped by 0.2% to 41,350.93. VIX plummeted by 9.99% to 24.23.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Wednesday after the U.S. government data revealed tighter-than-anticipated oil and fuel inventories. Nonetheless, investors remained vigilant amid concerns about a potential U.S. economic slowdown and the repercussions of tariffs on global economic expansion. Brent futures added $1.39 or 2% to $70.95 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) expanded $1.43 or 2.2% to $67.68 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures fell 1 cent or 0.01% to $70.94 a barrel, and the WTI lost 5 cents or 0.07% to $67.63 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed 0.07% to $2,948.9 per Troy ounce.
