Asia-Pacific markets set to mostly climb as investors await Bank of Korea decision

Asia-Pacific markets set to mostly climb as investors await Bank of Korea decision


Hongdae street in Seoul city, South Korea

Twenty47studio | Moment | Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly climb Thursday as investors look toward the Bank of Korea decision.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 38,350 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 37,840 against the index’s last close of 37,722.4.

Futures tied to Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index stood at 8,430, pointing to a higher open than its last close of 8,396.9.

Hong Kong markets are poised to slip slightly with futures tied to the Hang Seng index at 23,132, compared to the benchmark’s last close of 23,258.31.

Investors are expected to keep an eye on the outcome of the Bank of Korea’s meeting decision, as well as Asian chip stocks, after Nvidia posted stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue on Wednesday, driven by a 73% year-over-year surge in its data center business.

U.S. futures rose Wednesday night, buoyed by a strong earnings report from artificial intelligence heavyweight Nvidia.

Futures tied to the S&P 500 rose 0.8%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 1.2%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 206 points, or 0.5%.

Overnight, the three major stock averages closed lower as investors parsed the latest earnings reports and Federal Reserve meeting minutes.

The S&P 500 slid 0.56% to end at 5,888.55, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.51% and settled at 19,100.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 244.95 points, or 0.58%, and closed at 42,098.70.

— CNBC’s Alex Harring, Sarah Min and Pia Singh contributed to this report



Source

Nvidia hits  trillion market cap, first company to do so
World

Nvidia hits $4 trillion market cap, first company to do so

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attends a roundtable discussion at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 11, 2025. Sarah Meyssonnier | Reuters Nvidia stock jumped more than 2% on Wednesday, topping a $4 trillion market cap for the first time as investors scooped […]

Read More
Copper now costs way more in the U.S. than elsewhere. This could hit its economy hard
World

Copper now costs way more in the U.S. than elsewhere. This could hit its economy hard

Close up of electrical engineer inspecting copper windings in an electrical engineering factory. Monty Rakusen | Digitalvision | Getty Images The cost of copper for U.S. buyers has rocketed after President Donald Trump said he would impose a 50% tariff on imports of the metal. It means that already elevated prices are now even higher […]

Read More
Merck shells out  billion for London-based lung therapy firm Verona
World

Merck shells out $10 billion for London-based lung therapy firm Verona

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Merck will buy UK-based Verona Pharma for about $10 billion, the companies said on Wednesday, strengthening the U.S. firm’s respiratory treatment portfolio in a bid to diversify its revenue source beyond blockbuster cancer drug. Merck has been leaning on its aging cancer immunotherapy Keytruda, the world’s top-selling prescription medicine, […]

Read More