On Thursday morning (5 September, 9:35 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific saw a recovery following the previous day’s sell-off, with the exception of Japan’s Nikkei 225.
Japan’s Nikkei was the lone exception, experiencing a slight decline, while the comprehensive Topix index registered a 0.45% increase subsequent to the publication of Japan’s wage data for July.
Average monthly cash earnings in Japan increased by 3.6% year-on-year, showing a slower growth rate compared to June’s 4.5% uptick. Real wages also saw a year-on-year increase of 0.4%, marking the second consecutive month of growth following June’s 1.1% rise.
A positive wage report could potentially lead to the Bank of Japan considering a rate hike, thereby creating potential pressure on equity markets.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.39% to 2,590.83. Australia’s ASX 200 grew by 0.22% to 7,967.8, while Japan’s NIKKEI dropped by 0.53% to 36,852.62.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC increased by 0.05% to 2,785.59. Hong Kong’s HSI climbed by 0.02% to 17,461.39, and Shenzhen’s SZI gained 0.45% to 8,263.37.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Wednesday as NASDAQ declined by 0.3% to 17,084.3. S&P 500 slid by 0.16% to 5,520.07, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged by 0.09% to 40,974.97. VIX jumped by 2.9% to 21.32.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Wednesday as concerns regarding future demand emerged amidst conflicting indications from crude producers regarding potential supply increases. Brent futures fell $1.05 or 1.42% to $72.70 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost $1.14 or 1.62% to $69.20 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures rose 31 cents or 0.43% to $73.01 a barrel, and the WTI increased 32 cents or 0.46% to $69.52 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed by 0.06% to $2,527.6 per Troy ounce.
