On Wednesday morning (2 April, 9:19 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as investors prepared for the implementation of new tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, despite anticipated volatility in the short run, UBS analysts anticipate a shift towards more favorable news in the latter part of the year. The investment bank advised traders to capitalize on market fluctuations by investing in long-term positions, particularly suggesting the acquisition of broad U.S. equities and AI-related companies during market downturns.
In South Korea, inflation accelerated to a rate of 2.1% year-on-year in March, exceeding the previous month’s 2% increase. This figure also surpassed the 2% growth anticipated by economists surveyed by Reuters. The country’s core inflation, excluding food and energy prices, rose by 1.9% compared to the previous year.
Japan’s NIKKEI climbed by 0.03% to 35,634.42. Australia’s ASX 200 rose by 0.17% to 7,939, while South Korea’s KOSPI dipped by 0.02% to 2,521.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC increased by 0.28% to 3,357.97. Shenzhen’s SZI grew by 0.35% to 10,540.83, while Hong Kong’s HSI dropped by 0.1% to 23,182.61.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Tuesday as NASDAQ surged by 0.87% to 17,449.89. S&P 500 gained 0.38% to 5,633.07, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell by 0.03% to 41,989.96. VIX contracted by 2.29% to 21.77.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as traders prepared for reciprocal tariffs expected to be announced by U.S. President Donald Trump the following day, potentially escalating international trade tensions. Despite this, concerns over additional tariffs on Russian oil and military action against Iran raised supply concerns, mitigating the market’s losses. Brent futures declined 28 cents or 0.37% to $74.49 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slid 28 cents or 0.39% to $71.20 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures shrank 1 cent or 0.01% to $74.48 a barrel, while the WTI expanded 2 cents or 0.03% to $71.22 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures escalated 0.52% to $3,162.3 per Troy ounce.
