On Friday morning (14 February, 9:38 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in Asia Pacific increased following the positive trend on Wall Street, after the U.S. President Donald Trump signed reciprocal tariffs plans. Meanwhile, the new tariffs will not be implemented until several months later.
Investors also digested a slew of economic data in the Asia region.
In South Korea, the country’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January decreased to 2.9%, down from the previous month’s three-year high of 3.7%.
Singapore’s economy saw a 4.4% expansion in 2024, marking its most rapid growth since 2021. The fourth-quarter GDP recorded a 5% year-on-year increase, exceeding Reuters’ anticipated growth rate of 4.7%.
In addition, wholesale price inflation in India is projected to increase 2.5% in January, up from the 2.3% growth recorded in the prior month.
South Korea’s KOSPI added 0.32% to 2,591.34. Australia’s ASX 200 expanded by 0.47% to 8,580.5, while Japan’s NIKKEI dropped by 0.47% to 39,276.82.
As for stocks in China, Hong Kong’s HSI jumped by 1.63% to 22,170.23. Shenzhen’s SZI surged by 0.39% to 10,668.13, while Shanghai’s SSEC decreased by 0.1% to 3,329.08.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose by 0.77% to 44,711.43. NASDAQ soared by 1.5% to 19,945.64, and S&P 500 grew by 1.04% to 6,115.07. VIX slumped by 4.97% to 15.1.
As for commodities, oil prices settled slightly lower on Thursday as the market faced downward pressure due to ongoing negotiations for a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which weighed on prices. However, this effect was counterbalanced by earlier optimism surrounding a potential halt in new U.S. tariffs, which helped stabilize the market. Brent futures for April slid 16 cents or 0.21% to $75.02 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dipped 8 cents or 0.11% to $71.29 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures grew 16 cents or 0.21% to $75.18 a barrel, and the WTI increased 9 cents or 0.13% to $71.38 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed 0.34% to $2,955.5 per Troy ounce.
