- August 26, 2024
- By: Admin1_blog
- Asia Market, Indices
Lim Hui Jie
Key Points
- Investors in Asia assessed dovish comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and rising Middle East tensions as Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes.
- China’s central bank will release its medium-term lending rate on Monday, while Singapore will publish its manufacturing data for July.
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Monday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East with Israel and Hezbollah trading strikes, while investors assessed dovish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
Over the weekend, Reuters reported Israel’s Air Force struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, shortly before the Iran-backed armed group launched over 320 rockets toward Israel.
Hezbollah said this was in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.
However, the group signaled it was not preparing for more strikes, while Israel’s Foreign Minister said the country did not want a full-scale war, Reuters added.
Oil prices climbed following the strikes, with Brent crude up 0.62% at $79.52 and U.S. West Texas Intermediate rising 0.63% to $75.34.
| TICKER | COMPANY | NAME | PRICE | CHANGE | %CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .N225 | Nikkei 225 Index | *NIKKEI | 38053.57 | -310.7 | -0.81 |
| .HSI | Hang Seng Index | *HSI | 17756.09 | 143.99 | 0.82 |
| .AXJO | S&P/ASX 200 | *ASX 200 | 8080.5 | 56.6 | 0.71 |
| .SSEC | Shanghai | *SHANGHAI | 2852.34 | -2.03 | -0.07 |
| .KS11 | KOSPI Index | *KOSPI | 2696 | -5.69 | -0.21 |
| .FTFCNBCA | CNBC 100 ASIA IDX | *CNBC 100 | 10049.37 | 38.06 | 0.38 |
In Asia, investors will assess medium-term lending rates from China’s central bank on Monday, and Singapore’s manufacturing numbers for July.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.09%, while the Topix lost 1.13%. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.33% to trade at 143.9, its strongest level since the Aug. 5 stock sell-off.
South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.24%, and the small cap Kosdaq inched down 0.96%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.68%.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index rose 0.99%, but the mainland Chinese CSI 300 index inched 0.15% lower.
On Friday in the U.S., all three major indexes rose after Powell’s comments, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.14%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.47%. The S&P 500 gained 1.15%.
Powell on Friday signaled cuts to the Federal Funds rate, though he did not reveal the quantum or the exact timing of the reductions.
“The time has come for policy to adjust,” the central bank leader said at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.”
Source : cnbc
