BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after U.S. stocks hung near their all-time high as financial markets caught their breath following recent…
Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after U.S. stocks hung near their all-time high as financial markets caught their breath following recent bouts of volatility.
The dollar weakened against the Japanese yen and euro and oil prices were steady.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to 39,465.53 as attention shifted to a July 9 deadline for trade agreements to help stave off higher U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Japan’s lead trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, was due to visit Washington for another round of talks, with 25% U.S. import duties on Japanese vehicles a main point of contention.
Chinese markets were mixed. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.5% to 24,357.56, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% higher, to 3,459.66.
In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 1.4% to 3,064.51 as traders sold shares to lock in recent gains.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 8,551.30.
Taiwan’s Taiex gained 0.3% and the SET in Bangkok jumped 0.7%.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 barely budged, closing at 6,092.16. That’s just 0.8% below its all-time high set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2% to 42,982.43, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3% to 19,973.55.
In the oil market, which has been the center of much of this week’s action, crude prices have stabilized after plunging by roughly $10 per barrel earlier this week.
