On Tuesday morning (21 January, 9:14 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as investors held off on making major decisions, looking for more information on the upcoming policies of the newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump.
In South Korea, the nation saw its wholesale inflation rate rise by 1.7% in December compared to the previous year, marking the highest level recorded since July 2024. Initial data from the Bank of Korea revealed that the surge was primarily driven by sectors like information services, electric power, gas, and steam.
Japan’s NIKKEI climbed by 0.07% to 38,927.95. Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 0.41% to 8,381.7, while South Korea’s KOSPI declined by 0.29% to 2,512.72.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC fell by 0.41% to 3,231.09. Shenzhen’s SZI dropped by 0.38% to 10,216.89, while Hong Kong’s HSI increased by 0.25% to 19,975.15.
In the U.S., markets were closed on Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. public holiday.
Following Trump’s inauguration and pledge of a forthcoming “golden age” for the country, U.S. stock futures edged up. Additionally, Trump signed numerous executive orders, notable among them was the absence of any mention of tariffs.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Monday following U.S. President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Trump announced an immediate declaration of a national energy emergency, pledging to replenish strategic reserves and bolster American energy exports globally.
Brent crude futures concluded the early settlement 64 cents lower, down by 0.8% at $80.15, due to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dipped by $1.30, marking a 1.7% decrease, closing at $76.58. The more active WTI crude March contract also saw a decline of 91 cents, equivalent to a 1.2% drop, reaching $76.48. With the U.S. holiday in effect, there will be no settlement for WTI contracts.
This morning, Brent futures slid 2 cents or 0.02% to $80.13 a barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures contracted 0.33% to $2,739.7 per Troy ounce.
