Investing.com - Most Asian bourses are trading higher today as the region’s stocks appear to be taking cues from their U.S. counterparts and keep on grinding higher.
In Asian trading Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 even after a reported released earlier today showed Japan’s deficit increased. In a report released by Japan’s Finance Ministry earlier today, the country’s trade deficit jumped JPY1.63 trillion last month. In January, Japanese exports rose 6.4%, but imports increased 7.3%. The report arguably shows a down side to the weaker yen Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so stridently pushed for.
Elsewhere, a Japanese newspaper reported that former BOJ Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto may be taken of the government’s list of candidates to become the central banks new central governor. It was previously believed that Muto was a leading a contender for the role.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.26%, but the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.07%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.3% despite a downbeat profit report from BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company. On a related note, CEO Marius Kloppers, perhaps known for his penchant for attempting major acquisitions that never came to pass, will step down in May.
In a report released earlier today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian wage price index rose to 0.8% in the fourth quarter from 0.7% in the prior quarter. Analysts expected the increase to 0.8%. Some traders view the news as a sign that the Reserve Bank of Australia has room to cut interest rates at some point later this year.
New Zealand’s NZSE 50 fell 0.77% after a report showed the country’s producer price inflation unexpectedly fell to -0.3% in the fourth quarter from -1% in the third quarter. Analysts expected a fourth-quarter increase of 0.3%.
South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.6% after Bank of Korea governor Kim Choong Soo spoke favorably about the global economic outlook. Singapore’s Straits Times Index added 0.21%. S&P 500 futures are higher by 0.01%.
In Asian trading Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 even after a reported released earlier today showed Japan’s deficit increased. In a report released by Japan’s Finance Ministry earlier today, the country’s trade deficit jumped JPY1.63 trillion last month. In January, Japanese exports rose 6.4%, but imports increased 7.3%. The report arguably shows a down side to the weaker yen Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so stridently pushed for.
Elsewhere, a Japanese newspaper reported that former BOJ Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto may be taken of the government’s list of candidates to become the central banks new central governor. It was previously believed that Muto was a leading a contender for the role.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.26%, but the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.07%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.3% despite a downbeat profit report from BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company. On a related note, CEO Marius Kloppers, perhaps known for his penchant for attempting major acquisitions that never came to pass, will step down in May.
In a report released earlier today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian wage price index rose to 0.8% in the fourth quarter from 0.7% in the prior quarter. Analysts expected the increase to 0.8%. Some traders view the news as a sign that the Reserve Bank of Australia has room to cut interest rates at some point later this year.
New Zealand’s NZSE 50 fell 0.77% after a report showed the country’s producer price inflation unexpectedly fell to -0.3% in the fourth quarter from -1% in the third quarter. Analysts expected a fourth-quarter increase of 0.3%.
South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.6% after Bank of Korea governor Kim Choong Soo spoke favorably about the global economic outlook. Singapore’s Straits Times Index added 0.21%. S&P 500 futures are higher by 0.01%.