|

Asian stocks hit one-month high on Mnuchin cue

  • Mounting hops of breakthrough US-China trade deal are likely pushing the Asian stocks higher.
  • Chinese stocks, however, have given up early gains and the US index futures continue to report losses. 

Asian stocks are trading at one-month highs at press time, possibly on mounting hopes that Chinese Vice Premier Liu would continue talks on trade disputes

The MSCI Asia Pacific Ex-Japan is currently trading at $489.50 - the highest level since Dec. 13. Notably, the index is up 5.84 percent from the low of $462 reached on Jan. 4.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Composite jumped 0.5 percent in early trade but has given up gains in the last few minutes. Names like South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei are reporting at least 0.4 percent gains each.

The stocks likely picked up a bid after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that Chinese Vice Premier Liu will most likely visit the US later this month for higher-level trade negotiations. Moreover, Mnuchin's comments seem to have bolstered hopes of a breakthrough trade deal.

The S&P 500 futures, however, continue to trade in the red. The gains in the Asian stocks, therefore, could be short-lived.

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD shifts its attention to 1.1900 and above

EUR/USD has shaken off Tuesday’s dip, pushing back beyond the 1.1800 mark amid decent gains as  Wednesday’s session draws to a close. The rebound is largely driven by a modest pullback in the US Dollar, as markets digest the aftermath of President Trump’s SOTU speech and continue to monitor trade-related headlines and signals from the White House.
 

GBP/USD challenges multi-day highs near 1.3530

GBP/USD leaves behind the previous day’s decline and regains fresh upside traction on Wednesday, surpassing the 1.3500 barrier in a context of a modest decline in the Greenback and a generalised improved mood in the risk-linked space. Meanwhile, the US tariff narrative continues to dictate the mood among market participants after Presidet Trump’s SOTU speech failed to surprise markets.

Gold remains bid and close to $5,200

Gold buyers are returning to the fold on Wednesday, targeting the $5,200 area and possibly beyond, after Tuesday’s corrective dip from monthly highs. The rebound in the precious metal comes as the US Dollar loses traction, with Trump’s SOTU speech offering little fresh direction and AI-related nerves continuing to ease.

UK financial watchdog advances stablecoin oversight as four firms pilot issuance

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom (UK) is advancing toward the final stablecoin regulatory framework with a pilot program involving four companies, including Monee, Financial Technologies ReStabilise, Revolut and VVTX.

Nvidia earnings to influence AI trade and broader market sentiment

For the last three years, Nvidia has been the engine of the AI boom, and now Wall Street is watching to see whether that momentum can keep going. High-growth stocks have been struggling to maintain their bullish trend in 2026.

Cosmos Hub Price Forecast: ATOM rebounds slightly, bearish outlook remains intact

Cosmos Hub (ATOM) price rebounds, trading above $2.05 at the time of writing on Wednesday, after undergoing a sharp correction since last week. Weakening on-chain and derivatives data support a bearish outlook, while technical analysis remains unfavorable.