On Wednesday morning (16 October, 9:21 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific decreased following a decline in Wall Street amid mixed announcement of corporate earnings in 3Q24, with robust results from leading banks providing some counterbalance to less optimistic outlooks from significant players like UnitedHealth Group and Dutch semiconductor company ASML.
Meanwhile, investors are anticipating more stimulus measures for China’s faltering real estate market ahead of a scheduled press briefing by the country’s housing minister on Thursday.
On the other hand, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive is also set to present his annual policy address on Wednesday, with expectations on strategies to rejuvenate Hong Kong’s economy.
Japan’s NIKKEI slumped by 1.83% to 39,180.49. South Korea’s KOSPI dropped by 0.77% to 2,613.12, and Australia’s ASX 200 slid by 0.26% to 8,296.7.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC edged down by 0.01% to 3,201.1. Hong Kong’s HSI dipped by 0.07% to 20,304.49, and Shenzhen’s SZI contracted by 0.84% to 9,981.96.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) decreased by 0.75% to 42,740.42. NASDAQ lost 1.01% to 18,315.59, and S&P 500 shrank by 0.76% to 5,815.26. VIX rose by 4.77% to 20.64.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as Israel informed the U.S. of its decision not to target Iran’s oil facilities, alleviating concerns about potential disruptions to oil supply from the Middle East and calming fears of an imminent crisis in the region. Brent futures lost $3.21 or 4.14% to $74.25 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) declined $3.25 or 4.4% to $70.58 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures increased 22 cents or 0.3% to $74.47 a barrel, and the WTI gained 27 cents or 0.38% to $70.85 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed by 0.24% to $2,685.4 per Troy ounce.
