Global Markets:
- Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 1.01%, Shanghai Composite down 4.46%, Hang Seng up 0.18% ASX up 0.13%
- Commodities : Gold at $2634.35 (-0.04%), Silver at $30.70 (0.74%), Brent Oil at $77.91 (0.66%), WTI Oil at $73.96 (0.52%)
- Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.031, UK 10-year yield at 4.180, Germany 10-year yield at 2.2400
News & Data:
- (USD) Trade Balance -70.4B vs -70.1B expected
- (CAD) Trade Balance -1.1B vs -0.4B expected
Markets Update:
Chinese stocks experienced significant volatility on Wednesday, with mixed results across Asia-Pacific markets. The CSI 300 index in mainland China fell 4.4%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rebounded slightly, rising 0.7%. This followed a dramatic loss on Tuesday when the Hang Seng dropped 9.41%, marking its worst trading day in 16 years.
Japan’s markets saw gains, with the Nikkei 225 rising 1.05% and the Topix index up 0.29%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also showed a slight increase of 0.13%, closing at 8,187.4.
Investor attention remains on key policy decisions from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the Reserve Bank of India. New Zealand’s central bank cut its policy rate by 50 basis points to 4.75%, while the Reserve Bank of India maintained its interest rate at 6.5%. South Korea’s markets were closed for a public holiday.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., stocks saw a rebound as oil prices fell. The S&P 500 rose 0.97%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.45%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%. Oil prices, particularly West Texas Intermediate futures, dropped 4.6% as traders followed developments in the Middle East, specifically Israel’s anticipated response to Iran missile attacks and the U.S. government’s efforts to contain a broader regional conflict.
Upcoming Events:
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