On Thursday morning (9 January, 9:56 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as concerns were raised among investors about the Federal Reserve potentially postponing policy adjustments due to inflation concerns, following the prospects of President-elect Trump’s policies.
Additionally, subdued consumer price growth in China also added to the negative market sentiment.
China’s inflation figures for December revealed a marginal 0.1% increase in the consumer price index compared to the previous year. Concurrently, the producer price index continued its downward trend, falling by 2.3% year-on-year for the 27th consecutive month.
Japan’s NIKKEI declined by 0.76% to 39,678.93. Australia’s ASX 200 dropped by 0.46% to 8,311.1, while South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.36% to 2,530.08.
As for stocks in China, Hong Kong’s HSI surged by 0.22% to 19,323.21. Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.41% to 9,985.27, while Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.26% to 3,221.87.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets were mixed on Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) added by 0.25% to 42,635.2. S&P 500 gained 0.16% to 5,918.25, while NASDAQ edged down by 0.06% to 19,478.88. VIX dipped by 0.67% to 17.7.
As for commodities, oil prices contracted on Thursday, following substantial increases in U.S. fuel stockpiles in the previous week. Meanwhile, worries about limited supplies from OPEC nations and Russia helped mitigate the extent of the decline. Brent futures decreased 28 cents or 0.4% to $75.88 a barrel by 0125 GMT, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 30 cents or 0.4% to $73.02 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures lost 21 cents or 0.28% to $75.95 a barrel, and the WTI shrank 24 cents or 0.33% to $73.08 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed 0.13% to $2,675.8 per Troy ounce.
