On Friday morning (27 December, 9:26 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as some resumed trading after the Boxing Day holiday, with investors analyzing a slew of economic data in the region.
China’s industrial profits fell for the fourth consecutive month in November, declining by 7.3% compared to the previous year. This indicates that Beijing’s efforts to boost the economy have not significantly reversed the downward trend in corporate earnings.
As for Japan, Tokyo’s December inflation data revealed a headline inflation rate of 3%, up from 2.6% in October. Core inflation, which excludes fresh food prices, increased to 2.4%, falling short of Reuters’ projected 2.5% increase.
The country’s unemployment rate in November remained steady at 2.5%, aligning with Reuters’ forecasts.
Japan’s NIKKEI jumped by 1.16% to 40,026.72. Australia’s ASX 200 rose by 0.53% to 8,264.6, while South Korea’s KOSPI plummeted by 1.49% to 2,393.51.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.27% to 3,388.98. Hong Kong’s HSI dropped by 0.32% to 20,033.9, while Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.27% to 10,702.98.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Thursday as NASDAQ dipped by 0.05% to 20,020.36. S&P 500 declined by 0.04% to 6,037.59, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed by 0.07% to 43,325.8. VIX expanded by 3.22% to 14.73.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Thursday as the strength of the dollar outweighed optimism surrounding potential fiscal stimulus in China, the largest oil importer globally. Brent futures decreased 32 cents or 0.43% to $73.26 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost 48 cents or 0.68% to $69.62 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures contracted 8 cents or 0.11% to $73.18 a barrel, and the WTI edged down 6 cents or 0.09% to $69.56 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures fell 0.18% to $2,649.1 per Troy ounce.
