On Thursday morning (18 Jan, 9:30 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as China’s GDP data, which was announced yesterday, caused Hong Kong stocks to extend their slumps.
Chinese stocks edged lower on Wednesday, as the Shanghai Composite Index slid by 2.09% to 2,833.62, dipping to almost its five-year lows.
However, as of this morning, the stocks bounced back, but mainland Chinese stocks continued to decline.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 0.48% to 35,649.03. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 0.52% to 2,448.57, while Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.52% to 7,354.4.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC decreased by 1.02% to 2,804.69. Shenzhen’s SZI edged down by 0.85% to 8,685.75, while Hong Kong’s HSI climbed by 0.35% to 15,330.7.
Meanwhile, the US stocks market slumped on Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped by 0.25% to 37,266.67. NASDAQ declined by 0.59% to 14,855.62, and S&P 500 fell by 0.56% to 4,739.21. VIX increased by 6.86% to 14.79.
As for commodities, oil prices were mixed on Wednesday as the extreme cold in the US disrupted some US oil production, while concerns about energy demand from China increased after the country’s economic growth missed its expectation. The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipated oil markets to persist in a balanced position this year. Brent decreased 41 cents or 0.52% to $77.88 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged 16 cents or 0.22% to $72.56 a barrel.
This morning, Brent rose 9 cents or 0.12% to $77.97 a barrel, and WTI edged up 23 cents or 0.32% to $72.79 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures increased by 0.3% to $2,012.6 per Troy ounce.
