On Wednesday morning (13 Mar, 9:36 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the US consumer price index in February, which rose by 0.4% MoM and 3.2% YoY. The figures conformed to and beat expectations from economists polled by Dow Jones of 0.4% MoM and 3.1% YoY. The US core inflation also increased by 0.4% in February, beating an estimation of 0.3%.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.36% to 2,691.58. Australia’s ASX 200 gained 0.35% to 7,739.4, while Japan’s NIKKEI decreased by 0.15% to 38,738.47.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC fell by 0.45% to 3,042.1. Shenzhen’s SZI slid by 0.23% to 9,608.31, while Hong Kong’s HSI climbed by 0.16% to 17,120.89.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged higher on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged by 0.61% to 39,005.49. NASDAQ jumped by 1.54% to 16,265.64, and S&P 500 soared by 1.12% to 5,175.27. VIX slumped by 9.07% to 13.84.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as investors assessed inflation data from the US and OPEC’s demand outlook for 2024. Brent declined 29 cents or 0.35% to $81.92 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped 37 cents or 0.47% to $77.56 a barrel.
This morning, Brent gained 42 cents or 0.51% to $82.34 a barrel, and WTI increased 42 cents or 0.54% to $77.98 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures declined by 0.04% to $2,165.3 per Troy ounce.
