On Wednesday morning (18 September, 9:22 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed following the upsurge on Wall Street where the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average achieved fresh peaks. Investors are keeping their eyes on the Federal Reserve’s rate announcement scheduled later on Wednesday, while also evaluating key data from Japan and monitoring the upcoming rate decision from the Indonesian central bank.
Japan’s imports and exports in August saw an increase of 2.3% and 5.6% respectively compared to the previous year. These figures fell short of expectations, as Reuters polls had anticipated growth rates of 13.4% for imports and 10% for exports.
Furthermore, the country’s private sector machinery orders in July decreased by 0.1% from the previous month, missing Reuters’ forecast of a 0.5% rise.
In the US, traders in Wall Street also digested retail sales data in August, showing an increase of 0.1% compared to last month. The figure beat expectations polled by Reuters of 0.2% decline.
Markets in South Korea and Hong Kong are closed today, while trading activity in mainland China recommence following a three-day national holiday.
Japan’s NIKKEI gained 0.56% to 36,404.81. and Australia’s ASX 200 climbed by 0.02% to 8,142.4.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC dipped by 0.02% to 2,703.61. and Shenzhen’s SZI decreased by 0.55% to 7,940.01.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up slightly on Tuesday as NASDAQ surged by 0.2% to 17,628.06. S&P 500 climbed by 0.03% to 5,634.58, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) slid by 0.04% to 41,606.18. VIX jumped by 2.74% to 17.61.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Tuesday buoyed by increasing optimism surrounding a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve later this week. Additionally, production disturbances in the Gulf of Mexico continue to contribute to the market’s sentiment. Brent futures rose 95 cents or 1.31% to $73.70 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) grew $1.10 or 1.57% to $71.19 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures lost 18 cents or 0.24% to $73.52 a barrel, and the WTI dropped 19 cents or 0.27% to $71 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures edged up by 0.2% to $2,597.7 per Troy ounce.
