SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mostly higher in Tuesday morning trade as investors look to the interest rate decision set to be announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 0.42% in early trade.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% in morning trade as shares of conglomerate Softbank Group jumped 1.82%. The Topix index also gained 0.18%. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.43%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia slipped, with the S&P/ASX 200 declining slightly. The country’s balance on goods and services declined 43% from July to August on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to trade data released Tuesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.42% higher.
Markets in China are closed on Tuesday for a holiday.
Investor focus was likely on U.S. President Donald Trump‘s health, as he left the hospital to return to the White House, where he will continue being treated for the coronavirus following his positive diagnosis last week.
The U.S. president said prior to his departure that he planned to be promptly be back on the campaign trail, with less than a month to the upcoming presidential election in November.
Trump’s doctors said Monday the president’s condition has “continued to improve” over the past 24 hours, though White House physician Dr. Sean Conley warned that “he may not be entirely out of the woods yet.”
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.42 following an earlier decline from levels above 93.6.
The Japanese yen changed hands at 105.71 per dollar after weakening from levels below 105.6 yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7189, off levels around $0.72 seen last week.
Oil prices edged higher in the morning of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures up 0.15% to $41.35 per barrel. U.S. crude futures also rose fractionally to $39.24 per barrel.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Australia: Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate decision at 11:30 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC