01/12/2023
Today’s Announcements & News
Asia
South Korea’s stock markets rose on Thursday following the country’s central bank decision to maintain lending rates for the seventh consecutive time. China and Hong Kong equities, however, experienced declines as China’s manufacturing activity contracted further.
The Bank of Korea held its benchmark policy rate at 3.5%, citing expectations of a slowdown in inflation despite its recent elevation. Asia-Pacific markets showed a mixed trend as investors analyzed economic data, including China’s shrinking factory activity for the second consecutive month in November.
South Korea’s industrial output unexpectedly fell by 3.5%, contrary to the anticipated 0.5% rise. China’s CSI 300 index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index both saw marginal declines. In contrast, Japan’s Nikkei 225 reversed losses, rising by 0.33%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.74% for the third consecutive day of gains.
US
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to a new high for the year on Thursday, gaining 520 points or 1.47% to close at 35,950.89. This move surpassed the Dow’s previous peak in August. The S&P 500 also experienced a 0.4% increase, reaching 4,567.80. However, the Nasdaq Composite dipped approximately 0.2% to 14,226.22 as investors took profits in leading Big Tech stocks. The Dow concluded November with an 8.9% gain, ending a three-month losing streak, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 8.9% and 10.7%, respectively, marking their best monthly performance since July 2022.
Commodity
I.S. crude experienced a decline on Thursday, reversing earlier gains, as traders became more convinced that OPEC+, a coalition of OPEC and its oil-producing allies, would not follow through with promised output cuts. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) contract for January dropped $1.90, or 2.44%, settling at $75.96 a barrel, while the Brent contract for January lost 27 cents, or 0.17%, settling at $82.83 a barrel. Meanwhile, gold slipped on Thursday but secured a second consecutive monthly gain, buoyed by expectations that the Federal Reserve might soon cut interest rates, enhancing the appeal of non-yielding bullion. Spot gold dipped 0.4% to $2,035.79 per ounce after reaching a near seven-month peak in the previous session, with prices having gained around 2.7% in November.
The above analysis is only for the views of market researchers and is for reference only and is not regarded as a specific investment suggestion.
