On Monday morning (19 Feb, 9:49 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific increased following the return of China markets after Lunar New Year holidays. Meanwhile, Hong Kong stocks took a dip.
Australia’s ASX 200 grew by 0.08% to 7,664.3. South Korea’s KOSPI gained 0.76% to 2,668.93, while Japan’s NIKKEI edged down by 0.33% to 38,358.4.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC surged by 1.15% to 2,898.75. Shenzhen’s SZI increased by 0.97% to 8,905.99, while Hong Kong’s HSI dipped by 1.01% to 16,175.42.
Meanwhile, the US stocks market edged lower on Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell by 0.37% to 38,627.99. NASDAQ dropped by 0.82% to 15,775.65, and S&P 500 slid by 0.48% to 5,005.57. VIX rose by 1.64% to 14.24.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Friday after tensions rose on the border between Israel and Lebanon, raising concerns over the war in Gaza to escalate further. Brent gained 61 cents or 0.73% to $83.47 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose $1.16 or 1.49% to $79.19 a barrel.
This morning, Brent decreased 63 cents or 0.75% to $82.84 a barrel, and WTI slid 46 cents or 0.58% to $78.73 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed by 0.47% to $2,033.6 per Troy ounce.
