A screen displays the Nikkei 225 Stock Average figure on the trading floor at the Nomura Securities Co. headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 11, 2024.
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Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed on Monday as Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes on Sunday, while investors assessed dovish comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday.
Powell signaled cuts to the Federal Funds rate, although he did not provide exact indications on timing or the extent 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.”
Over the weekend, 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.
In Asia, investors will assess medium-term lending rates from China’s central bank on Monday, and Singapore’s manufacturing numbers for July.
Futures for Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 stood at 8,025, slightly higher than its last close of 8,023.9
In contrast, Japan’s Nikkei 225 futures pointed to a weaker open, with the futures contract in Chicago at 38,055 and its counterpart in Osaka at 38,280 compared to the previous close of 38,364.27
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 17,733, higher than the HSI’s last close of 17,612.1.
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%.
—CNBC’s Alex Harring and Yun Li contributed to this report.
