A New Chapter for Asia-Pacific: Trade Data and Powell Comments

Asia-Pacific markets showed mixed reactions to trade data and Powell’s comments. The Nikkei and Hang Seng fell, while the Shanghai Composite rose. Investors are eyeing future events.

Global Markets

• Asian Stock Markets: Nikkei is down 0.90%, Shanghai Composite is up 1.23%, Hang Seng is down 0.72%, ASX is down 0.46%
• Commodities: Gold at $2375.5 (0.06%), Silver at $28.67 (1.02%), Brent Oil at $89.73 (-0.78%), WTI Oil at $84.97 (-0.84%)
• Rates: US 10-year yield at 4.58, UK 10-year yield at 4.24, Germany 10-year yield at 2.411

News & Data

• (CAD) CPI m/m 0.6% vs 0.7% expected
• (USD) Building Permits 1.46M vs 1.51M expected

A New Chapter for Asia-Pacific: Trade Data and Powell Comments

Markets Update: Asia-Pacific markets had a mixed day after Tuesday’s broad sell-off, with investors closely eyeing trade data from Japan and Singapore. Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports plunged 20.7% in March, a significant miss from economists’ expectations of a 7% decline. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks on the lack of progress toward the 2% inflation goal this year tempered investor sentiment.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained ground but later slipped by 0.90%, while the broader Topix index saw a more significant decline of 1.03%. The Reuters Tankan index indicated a drop in business optimism for April. South Korea’s Kospi extended losses by 0.49%, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose by 0.47%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 recorded a modest uptick of 0.14%.

The CSI 300 index in mainland China fell by 0.17%. In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.17%, ending a six-day streak of losses, lifted by gains in UnitedHealth shares. However, the S&P 500 declined by 0.21% and the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.12%. Powell’s comments briefly spiked the 2-year U.S. Treasury yield above 5%.

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