12/01/2024
Today’s Announcements & News
Asia
Japan led gains in Asia, with the Nikkei 225 surging 1.77% to surpass the 35,000 mark for the first time since February 1990. South Korea’s Kospi slipped, while the Kosdaq rose. The Bank of Korea maintained its main lending rate at 3.50%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged 1.32%, and China’s CSI 300 rebounded from a near five-year low. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5%, recovering from Wednesday’s losses. Investors awaited U.S. inflation data for December.
US
Stocks edged slightly higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 up 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite hovering around flat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 26 points. Despite slightly higher-than-expected consumer price index data for December, the S&P 500 briefly traded above its record closing high of 4,796.56. The report showed a 0.3% increase in consumer prices, pushing the annual rate to 3.4%, slightly surpassing economists’ predictions.
Commodity
Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Thursday after Iran seized an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, heightening concerns about escalating conflict in the Middle East. The West Texas Intermediate futures for February settled at $72.02 a barrel, up 0.91%, while the Brent futures for March gained 0.79% to settle at $77.41 a barrel. Gold prices initially rose but later pared gains after higher-than-expected U.S. consumer prices data for December, impacting concerns about prolonged restrictive interest rates, which boosted the dollar and Treasury yields. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $2,014.89 per ounce, and U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $2019.3.
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.
