Global Markets Report - 17 October
ASX set to open higher, after US stocks closed higher on robust earnings and upbeat corporate outlooks.
Australia
Australian shares are set to open higher, after US stocks closed higher on robust earnings and upbeat corporate outlooks.
ASX futures were up 0.72% or 60 points as of 8:00am on Thursday, suggesting a higher open.
Gains by banks and airlines helped U.S. stocks advance despite a pullback in many of the big tech shares.
The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.3%.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 0.4% to US$74.53 a barrel, while gold was up 0.4% to US$2,673.83.
The Australian dollar was at 66.64 US cents, down from its previous close of 67.02.
Asia
Chinese shares closed mixed. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.1% to 3,202.95, and the Shenzhen Composite Index slipped 0.5% to 1,842.16.
Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.2% to 20,286.85.
Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average dropped 1.8% to 39,180.30.
India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX lost 0.4% to 81,501.36.
Europe
Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index added 1.0% to 8,329.07.
In Europe, shares closed lower. Germany's DAX fell 0.3% to 19,432.81, and France's CAC 40 slipped 0.4% to 7,492.00.
North America
U.S. stocks ended higher. The DJIA rose 0.8% to 43,077.70, the S&P 500 added 0.5% to 5,842.47, and the Nasdaq gained 0.3% to 18,367.08.
Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were United Airlines Holdings Inc, surging 12.44%, Delta Air Lines Inc jumped 6.81%, and Morgan Stanley lifted 6.48%.
The biggest decliners were Agilent Technologies Inc which dropped 3.78%, KLA Corp fell 3.55%, and Mettler-Toledo International Inc lost 3.37%.