Equities Higher During APAC Trading Helped By Rate Cut Optimism

Equity markets have generally followed the US higher in APAC trading today driven by optimism that the start of the Fed’s easing cycle is not too far away. The S&P and Nasdaq e-minis are unchanged in thin trading. The MSCI APEX 50 is up 1.7%.

• Japan’s Nikkei is 1.2% higher and the Topix +1.1%. While Korea’s KOSPI is +0.1% (held back by the finance sector), the KOSDAQ is +1.1%. Taiwan’s TAIEX is up 0.6%.
• HK’s Hang Seng is up 1.5% with the tech index rallying 2.3%. China’s CSI 300 has underperformed rising only 0.4% (property +0.3%). China signalled that it may ease restrictions on gaming and that it would create an “initial comprehensive computing power infrastructure system” by end-2025, according to Bloomberg.
• Australia’s ASX 200 is up 0.9% but down off the intraday high. The NZX 50 did not do as well rising 0.4%.
• ASEAN is mixed with Indonesia’s Jakarta comp up 0.6%, Singapore’s Straits Times +0.4%, the Malay KLCI +0.2% but the SE Thai flat and the Philippines PSEi down 0.5%.
• India’s Nifty 50 is 0.5% stronger.
• There is little on the upcoming US calendar with only the Richmond and Dallas Fed indices for December later.