Source : Economicstimes
TOKYO: Asian stock markets rose Wednesday, reversing course after an indecisive opening following a sluggish day on Wall Street .
Oil prices rose to near $85 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting demand may be improving.
The Nikkei 225 stock average in Tokyo added 0.4 percent to 10,788.13. Exporters, including electronics makers, generally rose as the dollar hovered in the upper 83-yen range. Toshiba Corp. was up 2.8 percent, Pioneer Corp. rose 2.6 percent, and Sharp Corp. rose 0.9 percent. Financial issues also advanced, with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. up 2.3 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent to 22,996.87, and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1 percent to 2,902.59. South Korea's Kospi index was nearly flat at 2,011.36, while benchmarks in Singapore and Indonesia retreated.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up narrowly to 4,932.60. Among the day's worst performers, BHP Billiton Ltd. shed 1.8 percent despite reporting robust earnings. The world's biggest mining company said its first half net profit soared more than 71 percent in the six months through December.
In New York Tuesday, a surprisingly weak retail sales report drove stocks lower on Tuesday, giving the Dow Jones industrial average its second straight day of losses.
The Dow fell 41.55, or 0.3 percent, to close at 12,226.64. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.31, or 0.3 percent, to 1,328.01. The Nasdaq composite index fell 12.83, or 0.5 percent, to 2,804.35.
In currencies, the dollar eased to 83.75 yen from 83.82 yen late Tuesday. The dollar rose from the lower-83 yen level overnight, at one point hitting a two-month high of 83.91 yen. The euro stood at $1.3532 from $1.3492.
Benchmark crude oil for March delivery was up 35 cents at $84.67 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 49 cents to settle at $84.32 a barrel Tuesday.
TOKYO: Asian stock markets rose Wednesday, reversing course after an indecisive opening following a sluggish day on Wall Street .
Oil prices rose to near $85 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting demand may be improving.
The Nikkei 225 stock average in Tokyo added 0.4 percent to 10,788.13. Exporters, including electronics makers, generally rose as the dollar hovered in the upper 83-yen range. Toshiba Corp. was up 2.8 percent, Pioneer Corp. rose 2.6 percent, and Sharp Corp. rose 0.9 percent. Financial issues also advanced, with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. up 2.3 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent to 22,996.87, and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1 percent to 2,902.59. South Korea's Kospi index was nearly flat at 2,011.36, while benchmarks in Singapore and Indonesia retreated.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up narrowly to 4,932.60. Among the day's worst performers, BHP Billiton Ltd. shed 1.8 percent despite reporting robust earnings. The world's biggest mining company said its first half net profit soared more than 71 percent in the six months through December.
In New York Tuesday, a surprisingly weak retail sales report drove stocks lower on Tuesday, giving the Dow Jones industrial average its second straight day of losses.
The Dow fell 41.55, or 0.3 percent, to close at 12,226.64. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.31, or 0.3 percent, to 1,328.01. The Nasdaq composite index fell 12.83, or 0.5 percent, to 2,804.35.
In currencies, the dollar eased to 83.75 yen from 83.82 yen late Tuesday. The dollar rose from the lower-83 yen level overnight, at one point hitting a two-month high of 83.91 yen. The euro stood at $1.3532 from $1.3492.
Benchmark crude oil for March delivery was up 35 cents at $84.67 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 49 cents to settle at $84.32 a barrel Tuesday.
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