Asia Stock Markets
Asian stocks advanced on Friday after U.S. stock
indexes mostly edged higher in the last session.
Gains in the region were led by South Korea's Kospi, which bounced back to rise more than 1 percent after slipping in the last session.
The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.42 percent. Oil-related stocks were higher following the rise in oil prices overnight.
Inpex and JXTG Holdings added 2.62 percent and 3.72 percent, respectively.
Automakers were also in positive territory, with Toyota climbing 0.37 percent.
The technology sector was a mixed picture: Heavyweight SoftBank Group added 1.34 percent and Sony lost 0.15 percent.
On the data front, Japan's core consumer price index rose 0.9 percent in January compared to one year ago, a touch above the 0.8 percent rise forecast, Reuters reported.
Gains in Seoul were more convincing, with the benchmark Kospi index advancing 1.05 percent.
Major technology stocks traded higher in the afternoon, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix gaining 0.51 percent and 1.84 percent, respectively.
Manufacturers were also in positive territory, with steelmaker Posco climbing 0.83 percent.
Meanwhile, shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 3.6 percent and Lotte Chemical added 3.73 percent.
In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 tacked on 0.69 percent. Major miners Rio Tinto and BHP were up 0.7 percent and 1.29 percent, respectively, contributing to the materials sector's overall gains.
Oil-related stocks were mostly higher following the rise in oil prices in the last session.
Woodside Petroleum added 0.74 percent and Oil Search gained 0.67 percent, although oil producer Santos slipped 0.19 percent.
Airline stocks also made gains, with Qantas up 2.69 percent after reporting record interim profit on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.84 percent.
Tech heavyweight Tencent contributed 31 points — the most among the index's constituents — to the Hang Seng's gains in the morning.
The property sector was the best-performer in the day and gains were seen in large cap developers before the lunch break.
Country Garden jumped 3.95 percent and CK Asset was higher by 1.12 percent. The financials sector also advanced, with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China gaining 0.86 percent.
Markets on the mainland which had earlier recorded slight gains were mixed in the afternoon: The Shanghai composite inched higher by 0.09 percent and the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.21 percent.
Of note, regulators in the country said they would take over Anbang Insurance Group for a year beginning Feb. 23.
The move came amid an ongoing crackdown on debt in China.
The upbeat sentiment was also seen in other regional markets. Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.01 percent and Singapore's Straits Times Index advanced 1 percent in the afternoon.
Bullard's comments came after the Federal Reserve indicated in minutes released earlier this week that a gradual firming in monetary policy was justified due to an expected pick-up in inflation.
Shares in Asia had closed mixed in the previous session following the release of those minutes, with the Nikkei and Hang Seng closing lower by more than 1 percent.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq composite finished lower for the fourth consecutive session as concerns over higher interest rates lingered.
That was in contrast to the gains seen in other major U.S. stock indexes.
Markets also considered minutes from the European Central Bank's January meeting released on Thursday, which reflected that it could take another look at its policy "early this year."
The dollar, meanwhile, clawed back some of its gains pared overnight.
The dollar index, which tracks the U.S. currency against six rivals, stood at 89.887 at 12:34 p.m.
HK/SIN, off an overnight high of 90.235 but a touch firmer than Thursday's close of 89.713.
Against the yen, the dollar firmed to trade at 106.89. That compared to the 107 handle seen mid-week.
Meanwhile, the Australian dollar slipped 0.25 percent to trade at $0.7825 and the New Zealand dollar declined 0.6 percent to trade at $0.7294.
The chief of Australia's central bank has indicated that there was no pressing reason to raise rates anytime soon.
On the energy front, oil prices were steady after touching their highest levels in two years in the overnight session following a surprise reported decline in U.S. crude stocks.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures traded off by 0.03 percent at $62.75 per barrel. Brent crude futures edged down by 0.08 percent to trade at $66.34.
In individual stocks, shares of Australian supermarket chain Woolworths Group fell 2.57 percent after the company reported first-half net profit rose 14.7 percent to 902 million Australian dollars ($708 million).
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Bank of Australia denied most of the 100 additional allegations made against the bank by Australian financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC in a Friday statement.
CBA shares rose 1.06 percent on Friday, leading gains seen in Australia's banking sector.
Gains in the region were led by South Korea's Kospi, which bounced back to rise more than 1 percent after slipping in the last session.
The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.42 percent. Oil-related stocks were higher following the rise in oil prices overnight.
Inpex and JXTG Holdings added 2.62 percent and 3.72 percent, respectively.
Automakers were also in positive territory, with Toyota climbing 0.37 percent.
The technology sector was a mixed picture: Heavyweight SoftBank Group added 1.34 percent and Sony lost 0.15 percent.
On the data front, Japan's core consumer price index rose 0.9 percent in January compared to one year ago, a touch above the 0.8 percent rise forecast, Reuters reported.
Gains in Seoul were more convincing, with the benchmark Kospi index advancing 1.05 percent.
Major technology stocks traded higher in the afternoon, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix gaining 0.51 percent and 1.84 percent, respectively.
Manufacturers were also in positive territory, with steelmaker Posco climbing 0.83 percent.
Meanwhile, shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 3.6 percent and Lotte Chemical added 3.73 percent.
In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 tacked on 0.69 percent. Major miners Rio Tinto and BHP were up 0.7 percent and 1.29 percent, respectively, contributing to the materials sector's overall gains.
Oil-related stocks were mostly higher following the rise in oil prices in the last session.
Woodside Petroleum added 0.74 percent and Oil Search gained 0.67 percent, although oil producer Santos slipped 0.19 percent.
Airline stocks also made gains, with Qantas up 2.69 percent after reporting record interim profit on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.84 percent.
Tech heavyweight Tencent contributed 31 points — the most among the index's constituents — to the Hang Seng's gains in the morning.
The property sector was the best-performer in the day and gains were seen in large cap developers before the lunch break.
Country Garden jumped 3.95 percent and CK Asset was higher by 1.12 percent. The financials sector also advanced, with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China gaining 0.86 percent.
Markets on the mainland which had earlier recorded slight gains were mixed in the afternoon: The Shanghai composite inched higher by 0.09 percent and the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.21 percent.
Of note, regulators in the country said they would take over Anbang Insurance Group for a year beginning Feb. 23.
The move came amid an ongoing crackdown on debt in China.
The upbeat sentiment was also seen in other regional markets. Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.01 percent and Singapore's Straits Times Index advanced 1 percent in the afternoon.
Bullard's comments came after the Federal Reserve indicated in minutes released earlier this week that a gradual firming in monetary policy was justified due to an expected pick-up in inflation.
Shares in Asia had closed mixed in the previous session following the release of those minutes, with the Nikkei and Hang Seng closing lower by more than 1 percent.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq composite finished lower for the fourth consecutive session as concerns over higher interest rates lingered.
That was in contrast to the gains seen in other major U.S. stock indexes.
Markets also considered minutes from the European Central Bank's January meeting released on Thursday, which reflected that it could take another look at its policy "early this year."
The dollar, meanwhile, clawed back some of its gains pared overnight.
The dollar index, which tracks the U.S. currency against six rivals, stood at 89.887 at 12:34 p.m.
HK/SIN, off an overnight high of 90.235 but a touch firmer than Thursday's close of 89.713.
Against the yen, the dollar firmed to trade at 106.89. That compared to the 107 handle seen mid-week.
Meanwhile, the Australian dollar slipped 0.25 percent to trade at $0.7825 and the New Zealand dollar declined 0.6 percent to trade at $0.7294.
The chief of Australia's central bank has indicated that there was no pressing reason to raise rates anytime soon.
On the energy front, oil prices were steady after touching their highest levels in two years in the overnight session following a surprise reported decline in U.S. crude stocks.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures traded off by 0.03 percent at $62.75 per barrel. Brent crude futures edged down by 0.08 percent to trade at $66.34.
Corporate news
In individual stocks, shares of Australian supermarket chain Woolworths Group fell 2.57 percent after the company reported first-half net profit rose 14.7 percent to 902 million Australian dollars ($708 million).
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Bank of Australia denied most of the 100 additional allegations made against the bank by Australian financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC in a Friday statement.
CBA shares rose 1.06 percent on Friday, leading gains seen in Australia's banking sector.
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