On Wednesday morning (26 February, 9:35 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific showed a varied performance, mirroring the drop in two major Wall Street indexes following the release of a U.S. consumer confidence survey that fell significantly below analysts’ expectations. This trend comes after a string of unsatisfactory economic data releases last week, such as underwhelming figures in manufacturing and retail sales.
Australia’s consumer price index surged by 2.5% in the twelve months leading up to January. The key drivers behind this were food and beverages, housing, and alcohol and tobacco. However, a drop in electricity prices somewhat mitigated the overall increase.
Additionally, China is set to present its annual budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year in parliament later today.
Japan’s NIKKEI slumped by 1.09% to 37,822.38. Australia’s ASX 200 decreased by 0.29% to 8,228, while South Korea’s KOSPI climbed by 0.02% to 2,630.89.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC rose by 0.49% to 3,362.4. Hong Kong’s HSI jumped by 2.18% to 23,537.01, and Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.18% to 10,873.76.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Tuesday as NASDAQ contracted by 1.35% to 19,026.39. S&P 500 lost 0.47% to 5,955.25, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) expanded by 0.37% to 43,621.16. VIX added 2.37% to 19.43.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday, influenced by the foreign policy decisions of the U.S. President Donald Trump, including efforts to navigate peace talks in Ukraine, engage in trade disputes with former allies, and impose additional sanctions on Iran. Brent futures declined $1.43 or 1.9% to $73.37 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped $1.42 or 2% to $69.23 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures increased 18 cents or 0.25% to $73.2 a barrel, and the WTI escalated 17 cents or 0.25% to $69.1 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures surged 0.46% to $2,932.1 per Troy ounce.
