On Friday morning (14 March, 9:28 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in Asia Pacific increased despite the sharp decline seen in the U.S. markets following President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats.
On Thursday, Trump issued a warning of imposing 200% tariffs on all alcoholic beverages imported from the European Union in response to the EU’s 50% tariff on whiskey while also affirming his stance to proceed with the planned tariffs commencing on April 2nd.
Japan’s NIKKEI added 0.36% to 36,919.13. Australia’s ASX 200 rose by 0.34% to 7,775.7, while South Korea’s KOSPI decreased by 0.22% to 2,568.07.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC surged by 0.96% to 3,390.78. Hong Kong’s HSI soared by 1.27% to 23,760.62, and Shenzhen’s SZI jumped by 1.17% to 10,861.51.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged down on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) slumped by 1.3% to 40,813.57. NASDAQ plummeted by 1.96% to 17,303.02, and S&P 500 contracted by 1.38% to 5,521.52. VIX gained 1.78% to 24.66.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Thursday amidst lingering macroeconomic apprehensions, particularly regarding the potential impact of trade disputes involving the U.S. and other nations. Additionally, market sentiments were also influenced by the unease surrounding a U.S. initiative for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. Brent futures declined $1.07 or 1.5% to $69.88 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped $1.13 or 1.7% to $66.55 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures expanded 38 cents or 0.54% to $70.26 a barrel, and the WTI escalated 40 cents or 0.6% to $66.95 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed 0.32% to $3,001 per Troy ounce.
