On Tuesday morning (24 December, 9:41 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed, while Wall Street exhibited gains among tech stocks.
Trading activity in the US markets was light on Monday and is projected to stay subdued throughout the week. The New York Stock Exchange is set to conclude early on Tuesday for Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. ET, with the market remaining closed on Christmas Day.
In Asia, South Korea saw a significant decline in consumer confidence, hitting its lowest level in more than two years. According to a survey by the Bank of Korea, the country’s consumer sentiment index plummeted by over 12 points to 88.4 in December, dipping below the critical 100-point threshold that separates positivity from negativity.
Japan’s NIKKEI contracted by 0.27% to 39,055.16. South Korea’s KOSPI slid by 0.23% to 2,436.48, while Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.14% to 8,213.2.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC expanded by 0.71% to 3,374.97. Hong Kong’s HSI rose by 1.07% to 20,095.02, and Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.67% to 10,608.39.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed by 0.16% to 42,906.95. NASDAQ added by 0.98% to 19,764.88, and S&P 500 gained 0.73% to 5,974.07. VIX slumped by 8.61% to 16.78.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Monday due to apprehensions regarding a potential supply surplus in the upcoming year and a firmer dollar. Brent futures declined 31 cents or 0.43% to $72.63 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped 22 cents or 0.32% to $69.24 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures rose 44 cents or 0.61% to $73.07 a barrel, and the WTI increased 42 cents or 0.61% to $69.66 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures gained 0.16% to $2,632.5 per Troy ounce.
