SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Tuesday morning trade, after major indexes on Wall Street surged to record closing highs overnight stateside.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan hovered above the flatline while the Topix index dipped 0.16%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.46%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.93%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.24% higher.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is set to announce its interest rate decision at around 12:30 p.m. HK/SIN on Tuesday.
A private survey on China’s services sector activity in March is also expected to be out. The Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers’ Index for March is set to be released at around 9:45 a.m. HK/SIN on Tuesday.
Markets in Hong Kong are closed on Tuesday for a holiday.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 373.98 points record closing high of 33,527.19. The S&P 500 also saw a record close as it rose 1.44% to 4,077.91. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.67% to finish its trading day at 13,705.59.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.566 — lower than levels above 93 seen earlier.
The Japanese yen traded at 110.15 per dollar, weaker than levels around 109.5 against the greenback seen last week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7658 following a bounce yesterday from around $0.76.
Oil prices were higher in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures up 0.39% to $62.39 per barrel. U.S. crude futures gained 0.53% to $58.96 per barrel.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Australia: Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate decision at 12:30 p.m. HK/SIN
- China: Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers’ Index at 9:45 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC