On Wednesday morning (20 Mar, 9:40 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in Asia Pacific increased as investors analyzed the adjustment of interest rate in Japan from -0.1% to 0% to 0.1%, which was the first time in 17 years since the central bank raised its policy rate to positive territory. Meanwhile, investors also awaited the announcement of the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.
Japan’s NIKKEI soared by 0.66% to 40,003.6. South Korea’s KOSPI jumped by 1.11% to 2,685.69, and Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.32% to 7,727.7.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC dropped by 0.04% to 3,061.42. Shenzhen’s SZI fell by 0.11% to 9,686.01, while Hong Kong’s HSI gained 0.03% to 16,535.21.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged higher on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose by 0.83% to 39,110.76. NASDAQ increased by 0.39% to 16,166.79, and S&P 500 grew by 0.56% to 5,178.51. VIX slumped by 3.56% to 13.82.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Tuesday as traders evaluated the impact from Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, which would potentially affect global oil supplies. Brent gained 49 cents or 0.6% to $87.38 per barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 75 cents or 0.9% to $83.47 a barrel.
This morning, Brent lost 23 cents or 0.26% to $87.15 a barrel, and WTI decreased 36 cents or 0.43% to $83.11 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures edged up by 0.08% to $2,161.4 per Troy ounce.
