On Friday morning (20 September, 9:26 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific increased, mirroring Wall Street’s performance post the Federal Reserve’s rate cut announcement. Meanwhile, investors also digested key data from Japan and China.
Japan’s core CPI increased by 2.8% YoY, matching Reuters’ forecasts, compared to a 2.7% uptick in the prior month. Excluding volatile items such as fresh food and energy, the inflation rate stood at 2%, up from 1.9% recorded in the previous month.
China left its key benchmark lending rates unchanged at the monthly fixing. The one-year loan prime rate, impacting corporate and most household loans, remains at 3.35%, while the five-year LPR, serving as a benchmark for mortgage rates, is held steady at 3.85%.
Japan’s NIKKEI jumped by 2.17% to 37,961.18. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 1.1% to 2,609.24, and Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.45% to 8,228.6.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.18% to 2,731.08. Shenzhen’s SZI dipped by 0.58% to 8,040.45, while Hong Kong’s HSI increased by 1.65% to 18,309.93.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 1.26% to 42,025.19. NASDAQ soared by 2.51% to 18,013.98, and S&P 500 jumped by 1.7% to 5,713.64. VIX slumped by 10.42% to 16.33.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Thursday following the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate cut in over four years and escalating tensions in the Middle East, as Israeli warplanes and artillery conducted airstrikes aimed at Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Brent futures gained $1.23 or 1.67% to $74.88 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) grew $1.04 or 1.47% to $71.95 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures dropped 34 cents or 0.45% to $74.54 a barrel, and the WTI climbed 6 cents or 0.08% to $72.01 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures edged down by 0.01% to $2,614.4 per Troy ounce.
