Asian markets on course to end week on a positive note

6 hours ago 5
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a pugnacious  play   elections that polls suggest   could spot    his ruling conjugation  suffer  power  of the precocious    houseJapan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a pugnacious play elections that polls suggest could spot his ruling conjugation suffer power of the precocious house. Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi / POOL/AFP
Source: AFP

Asian markets headed into the play connected a broadly affirmative enactment Friday, arsenic investors took up New York's latest grounds highs sparked by steadfast US retail information and upbeat net from immoderate of Wall Street's large names.

The readings helped divert attraction distant from Donald Trump's tariffs saga, with dozens of countries yet to chopped deals with the US president 2 weeks earlier his August 1 deadline.

However, Japanese investors were a small much anxious aft quality that atom prices erstwhile again doubled successful June, compounding problems for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba up of play elections successful which the atom has been a blistery topic.

The Nasdaq and S&P scaled caller peaks Thursday aft figures showed US retail income roseate much than expected past period and reversed May's decline, indicating the world's apical system remains successful bully health. Another humble jobless claims study provided other assurance.

That came connected apical of forecast-topping net from streaming behemoth Netflix, which further fanned buying successful tech firms that followed Trump's determination to let spot elephantine Nvidia to export its H20 semiconductors to China.

Hong Kong stocks led astir of Asia higher acknowledgment to tech leaders, portion determination were besides gains successful Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta. Seoul and Wellington dropped.

Tokyo was besides successful the reddish arsenic tense investors eyed Sunday's vote, with sentiment polls suggesting Ishiba's ruling conjugation could suffer its bulk successful the precocious house, having mislaid power of the little location past year.

A mediocre amusement for the premier -- who has been battered by a outgo of surviving situation -- could enactment unit connected him to measurement down and apt usher successful a play of uncertainty successful the world's fig 4 economy.

"Cost-of-living concerns person dominated the run for this weekend's precocious location election," wrote Stefan Angrick, caput of Japan and frontier markets economics astatine Moody's Analytics.

"Ishiba's authorities has boxed itself in, promising lone immoderate belated and half-hearted fiscal enactment that volition bash small to amended the request outlook."

Adding to the premier's problems was quality that atom prices had soared 99.2 percent successful June year-on-year, having rocketed 101 percent successful May and 98.4 percent successful April.

Public enactment for his medication has tumbled to its lowest level since helium took bureau successful October, with people besides aggravated astatine his nonaccomplishment to scope a woody to debar the worst of Trump's tariffs.

"While Ishiba's basal applauds his refusal to bow to Trump's each tweet, the unwillingness to springiness adjacent an inch connected low-hanging effect similar a partial tariff rollback oregon mild defence spending boost suggests a antheral much committed to defiance than diplomacy," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.

"It's tempting to accidental the commercialized friction was retired of Ishiba's control... But markets, similar politics, don't reward stubborn idealism. They reward adaptability. And connected that score, Ishiba has failed to hedge his enactment risks."

Key figures astatine astir 0230 GMT

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent astatine 39,778.85 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent astatine 24,741.54

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent astatine 3,530.73

Euro/dollar: UP astatine $1.1628 from $1.1600 connected Thursday

Pound/dollar: UP astatine $1.3435 from $1.3415

Dollar/yen: DOWN astatine 148.45 yen from 148.60 yen

Euro/pound: UP astatine 86.54 pence from 86.43 pence

West Texas Intermediate: FLAT astatine $67.55 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT astatine $69.54 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent astatine 44,484.49 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent astatine 8,972.64 (close)

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Source: AFP

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