Global Markets Report - 20 February
ASX set to open flat, with U.S. stock and bond markets closed for Presidents' Day.
Australia
Australian shares are set to open flat, with Wall Street closed for Presidents' Day.
ASX futures were up 0.02% or 2 points as of 8:30am on Tuesday, suggesting a flat open.
U.S. stock and bond markets were closed Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil fell 0.2% to US$83.33 a barrel, while gold was up 0.2% to US$2,017.21.
In local bond markets, the yield on Australian 2 Year government bonds was down at 3.84% while the 10 Year yield was also down at 4.17%. US Treasury notes were flat, with the 2 Year yield at 4.64% and the 10 Year yield at 4.28%.
The Australian dollar hit 65.38 US cents up from its previous close of 65.30. The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which tracks the US dollar against 16 other currencies, was up at 98.62.
Asia
Chinese shares ended higher on the first trading day following the Lunar New Year holidays, with sentiment boosted by data on travel over the holiday period. There is no doubt that services remains a key pillar of support for the economy, as increased travel drove a revival in tourism and offline entertainment activities, HSBC analysts Jing Liu and Erin Xin said in a research note. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.6% to 2910.54. The Shenzhen Composite gained 1.7% and the ChiNext Price Index was up 1.1%. Among major movers, 360 Security Technology advanced 8.5% and iFlytek added 6.9%. Decliners included WuXi AppTec, which dropped 5.8%. EV battery maker CATL lost 1.7%.
Hong Kong shares closed lower, dragged by consumer products and property stocks. China's Lunar New Year consumption and travel data signaled continued weak demand, Jefferies China economist Shujin Chen said. Among consumer stocks, Li Ning lost 8.6% and China Mengniu Dairy dropped 4.65%. Zhongsheng Group closed 6.25% lower after its removal from the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index on Friday, Maybank analyst Sonija Li said. Country Garden Services and Longfor Group declined 5.8% and 5.1%, respectively, as investors remain concerned over sluggish property sales during the Lunar New Year holiday. Among gainers, Zijin Mining was up 5.1% and China Shenhua Energy rose 4.2%. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed 1.1% lower at 16155.61 and the Hang Seng Tech Index was down 2.7% at 3253.09.
The Nikkei Stock Average closed flat at 38470.38 amid mixed developments. Stronger-than-expected U.S. PPI data contributed to some inflation jitters, said IG market analyst Yeap Jun Rong in an email. However, Wall Street appears to be resilient, which could reflect expectations for U.S. economic conditions to continue to hold up, he added. Among worst performers on the benchmark index, Nintendo slipped 5.8%, Kokusai Electric dropped 5.0% and Recruit Holdings was down 3.25%. Among top advancers, Obayashi Corp. rose 5.5%, Otsuka Corp. added 5.0% and Mitsubishi Corp. was up 4.9%. USD/JPY was at 150.01, compared with 150.20 around Friday's Tokyo stock-market close.
India's benchmark Sensex rose 0.4% to 72708.16, ending higher for the fifth straight session. Telecommunications and finance stocks led gains. Bajaj Finserv rose 2.8% and Bajaj Finance was 1.4% higher. Bharti Airtel gained 2.0% and Indus Towers advanced 1.1%. Tech stocks weighed on the market, with Tata Consultancy Services down 0.7% and Wipro falling 1.45%. Larsen & Toubro declined 1.45%.
Europe
The Stoxx Europe 600 advanced 0.2% to 492.39, the DAX slipped 0.2% to 17,092.26 and the CAC 40 was flat at 7,768.55.
FTSE 100 closed flat at 7,728.50 points in the absence of big corporate or economic data releases. The sluggish start is expected to change "later in the week when the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting are released and the AI stock Nvidia unveils its latest quarterly results", AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould says in a note. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca gained 3.4% after it reported positive results from one of its drugs while telecommunications firm Vodafone climbed 1.7% after introducing a new app for small businesses. Energy company Centrica fell 3.7%, reversing last week's rally driven by increased dividend payout.
North America
U.S. stock and bond markets were closed Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday.