Asia-Pacific stocks mixed; Australia’s March jobs data ahead

Asia-Pacific stocks mixed; Australia’s March jobs data ahead


SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Thursday morning trade as investors look ahead to the release of Australian jobs data for March.

The Nikkei 225 in Japan climbed 0.55% in morning trade while the Topix index advanced 0.37%.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.23%. Australian jobs data for March is due at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN.

Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi dipped fractionally. The Bank of Korea is set to announce its latest interest rate decision at 9:00 a.m. HK/SIN.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.25% higher. Markets in India are closed on Thursday for a holiday.

Investor sentiment in Asia may have been buoyed by the prospect of more support ahead from Chinese authorities after the country’s government announced Wednesday that reserve requirement ratio cuts will be used “at an appropriate time to raise the credit input capacity of banks,” citing details from a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

That development comes as China has in recent weeks been battling its most severe Covid outbreak on the mainland since the initial phase of the pandemic in early 2020.

Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:

Investors will monitor Hong Kong-listed shares of CNOOC after Reuters reported Wednesday the Chinese oil firm is preparing to exit operations in multiple Western nations due to fears of sanctions.

Overnight stateside, the S&P 500 climbed 1.12% to 4,446.59. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 344.23 points, or 1.01%, to 34,564.59. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite surged 2.03% to 13,643.59.

Currencies and oil

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 99.789 after a recent decline from above 100.4.

The Japanese yen traded at 125.35 per dollar, stronger than levels above 125.6 seen against the greenback yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7457 following a recent bounce from levels below $0.744.

Oil prices were lower in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 0.61% to $108.12 per barrel. U.S. crude futures declined 0.68% to $103.54 per barrel.



Source

CNBC Daily Open: Despite all the uncertainty, the S&P 500 is flirting with record highs — strange times
World

CNBC Daily Open: Despite all the uncertainty, the S&P 500 is flirting with record highs — strange times

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 23, 2025. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Have we gone back in time? It certainly seems on the markets front. Just look at the S&P 500 and you will think that it’s back in February — before U.S. […]

Read More
Asia-Pacific markets set to trade mixed as Middle East tensions appear to ease
World

Asia-Pacific markets set to trade mixed as Middle East tensions appear to ease

A HDR evening shot taken at sunset of the Tokyo skyline. Fgm | E+ | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed Thursday, as investors continued to weigh the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 39,055 while […]

Read More
Stock futures are little changed as S&P 500 nears new record high: Live updates
World

Stock futures are little changed as S&P 500 nears new record high: Live updates

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 25, 2025. Jeenah Moon | Reuters Stock futures were relatively unchanged on Wednesday as the S&P 500 remains within striking distance of its all-time high. S&P 500 futures traded around the flatline, as did Nasdaq 100 futures. […]

Read More