On Friday morning (4 October, 9:20 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most indices in Asia Pacific increased in contrast with Wall Street, which experienced a decline. Investor sentiment was notably cautious due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, adding to the apprehension as markets awaited the release of the U.S. payrolls report for September.
Markets in mainland China remained closed and are slated to reopen on October 8.
Japan’s NIKKEI climbed by 0.26% to 38,653.62. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.83% to 2,582.99, while Australia’s ASX 200 decreased by 0.78% to 8,141.
Hong Kong’s HSI grew by 0.73% to 22,274.47.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 0.44% to 42,011.59. NASDAQ slid by 0.04% to 17,918.48, and S&P 500 dipped by 0.17% to 5,699.94. VIX surged by 8.41% to 20.49.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Thursday, marking their third consecutive session of gains. The increase was driven by concerns that Israel might target Iran’s oil industry in response to Tehran’s recent ballistic missile attack. Brent futures soared $3.72 or 5.03% to $77.62 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased $3.61 or 5.15% to $73.71 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures climbed 4 cents or 0.05% to $77.66 a barrel, and the WTI gained 7 cents or 0.09% to $73.78 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures dropped by 0.05% to $2,677.9 per Troy ounce.
