|

Asian Stock Market: Chatters over vaccine, stimulus favor bulls to track Wall Street gains

  • MSCI’s gauge of Asia-Pacific shares refresh record high, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains over 1.0%.
  • US policymakers inch closer to covid aid package, vaccine is nearby.
  • Bulls ignore Brexit woes, surge in virus figures and China’s first CPI contraction in over a decade.

Asian shares cheer hopes of the US coronavirus (COVID-19) stimulus and the nearness to the vaccine during the early Wednesday. In doing so, the Asia-Pacific equities shrug off downbeat inflation data from China and a surge in the virus infections and death toll in America. Also getting less attention from traders are fears of a no-deal Brexit and the Sino-American tussle.

That said, MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gains 0.60%, after refreshing the record high before a few minutes, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 eyes 26,760 with 1.10% intraday profits.

Chinese shares also pay a little heed to -0.5% YoY contraction in the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November whereas stocks in Hong Kong grew past 1.30% even as US President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “deeply concerned” about the arrests and imprisonment of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Australia’s ASX 200 adds 0.73% to the daily upside while New Zealand’s NZX 50 cheers a surge in the Q3 Manufacturing Sales, from upwardly revised -12% to +17.3%, with a 1.20% rise. Furthermore, South Korea’s KOSPI rose over 1.30% while following the broad market optimism whereas India’s BSE Sensex is among other gainers marking a below 1.0% upside.

On Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin proposed a higher than the earlier bipartisan proposal of $916 billion figure as an aid package. Although that amount got a rejection from the Democrats, the House is optimistic about reaching the deal soon.

Read: Wall Street Close: Bulls encouraged by covid vaccine progress

Looking forward, optimism concerning the US stimulus and vaccine can help the global equities positive. However, data from the option markets seem to push some of the big banks to turn cautious at the record-high levels.

Read: S&P 500 Futures cheer US stimulus hopes near record high above 3,700

Author

Anil Panchal

Anil Panchal

FXStreet

Anil Panchal has nearly 15 years of experience in tracking financial markets. With a keen interest in macroeconomics, Anil aptly tracks global news/updates and stays well-informed about the global financial moves and their implications.

More from Anil Panchal
Share:

Editor's Picks

160.80: Japanese Yen remains close to nearly two-year lows

USD/JPY inches lower after four days of gains, trading around 160.60 during the Asian hours. The USD/JPY pair surged to 160.80 the previous day, marking its highest level since July 2024 and significantly heightening speculation that Japanese authorities could soon intervene to support the struggling Yen.

Australian Dollar remains in positive territory after paring recent gains

AUD/USD pares its daily gains, remaining in the positive territory and trading around 0.7010 during the European hours. The pair appreciated as the Australian Dollar received support from prevailing hawkish sentiment surrounding the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy outlook.

Gold retreats below $4,250 as USD benefits from hawkish Fed

Gold (XAU/USD) stays on the back foot in the second half of the day and trades in negative territory below $4,250. Although easing tensions in the Middle East help XAU/USD limit its losses, the broad-based USD strength in the Fed aftermath doesn't allow it to gain traction.

Bitcoin slips below $64,000 as hawkish Fed stance weighs on risk appetite

Bitcoin remains under pressure, extending its correction, trading below $64,000. The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged but struck a hawkish tone on Wednesday, dampening the risk sentiment.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.

The next big AI trade may not be about chips or software

Artificial intelligence has already created some of the biggest winners in modern market history. Chipmakers have surged, data centre construction is booming, and electricity demand forecasts are changing globally.