On Friday morning (17 January, 9:37 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as traders evaluated China’s 2024 GDP growth and retail sales data in December.
In 2024, the world’s second-largest economy experienced a 5% annual growth, with a notable upturn in the last quarter. Surpassing expectations, the country achieved a 5.4% growth in GDP for the fourth quarter.
Retail sales surged by 3.7% in December compared to the previous year, surpassing Reuters’ forecast of 3.5%. Additionally, industrial output grew by 6.2% on a yearly basis, exceeding expectations of 5.4%.
Japan’s NIKKEI declined by 0.95% to 38,207.65. South Korea’s KOSPI decreased by 0.22% to 2,521.85, while Australia’s ASX 200 climbed by 0.06% to 8,331.9.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC rose by 0.24% to 3,243.82. Hong Kong’s HSI surged by 0.22% to 19,565.67, and Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.29% to 10,130.13.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) slid by 0.16% to 43,153.13. NASDAQ fell by 0.89% to 19,338.29, and S&P 500 dipped by 0.21% to 5,937.34. VIX jumped by 2.98% to 16.6.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Thursday as investors anticipated a cease in ship attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea, while also considering robust U.S. retail sales figures. Brent futures dropped 74 cents or 0.9% to $81.29 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost $1.36 or 1.7% to $78.68 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures expanded 36 cents or 0.44% to $81.65 a barrel, and the WTI gained 45 cents or 0.57% to $79.13 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures slid 0.15% to $2,746.9 per Troy ounce.
