Thursday’s early hours of trade saw a mixed session from Asian markets ahead of a flood of economic data from across the region.
As of 9.00 A.M. Bangkok time, the Nikkei 225 began the day down 0.56% as Japan reports its first trade surplus in 23 months, totaling 43 billion yen ($308 million).
The benchmark stock index in South Korea, the Kospi, dropped 0.10%.
The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia increased by 0.29% before the release of the country’s June unemployment data. A Reuters survey suggests that the jobless rate will remain stable at 3.6%.
After China’s second-quarter GDP fell short of predictions, investors will be watching the country’s prime rate announcements for one and five-year loans intently to see if the government would try to encourage growth by cutting rates.
As the corporate earnings season resumed, all three major indices rose overnight in the U.S., with the Dow Jones Industrial Average posting its longest winning streak in nearly four years.
The Dow rose 0.31%, making it eight days in a row, while the S&P 500 gained 0.24%. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.03%.
