Hong Kong (AFP) – Markets rallied Tuesday, tracking the year’s first record on Wall Street as investors racked up AI-linked tech bets, while oil prices steadied after whipsawing following the ouster of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Attention is also turning back to US monetary policy and the release of key data this week that could play a role in Federal Reserve interest rate decision-making ahead of its next meeting at the end of the month.
Traders essentially ignored the noise of the surprise US raid on Caracas on Saturday that saw Maduro and his wife spirited away to New York to face drug charges. While there is still some nervousness about stretched valuations in the tech sector, analysts remain optimistic about the outlook for equities this year, with artificial intelligence still the main game in town.
“Global equities are likely to keep looking through the geopolitical shock unless it threatens the broader supply chain or tightens financial conditions, because geopolitics has become a persistent feature rather than a surprise,” Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets, wrote in a commentary. “Equities can continue grinding higher if earnings expectations, liquidity, and rate expectations remain supportive, especially in tech.”
That mood was reflected on Wall Street, where the Dow ended at a new record, boosted by a rally in tech titans including Amazon and Meta as well as energy giants. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also rose, helped by data showing US manufacturing activity contracted for a 10th straight month in December, giving the Fed fresh room to cut rates. The figures come ahead of jobs data due over the next couple of days, which could give it more justification to ease, even after the central bank suggested last month it could pause its easing.
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, and Jakarta all piled on more than one percent, while there were also healthy gains in Manila and Wellington. Mumbai, Sydney, and Bangkok fell. Seoul, which soared more than three percent Monday, also rose more than one percent to top 4,500 points for the first time, helped by another strong rally in chip giant SK hynix. South Korean car giant Hyundai jumped more than eight percent at the open after it unveiled a prototype of its humanoid robot called Atlas at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The firm said the AI-powered device would start working at a US plant by 2028. It ended more than one percent up.
In Sydney, Australia’s BlueScope Steel rocketed almost 21 percent after saying it is evaluating a US$8.8 billion joint takeover bid by a US rival and a diversified local firm. London opened with more gains a day after ending at a record high, while Paris and Frankfurt also advanced. Oil prices slipped, having risen 1.7 percent Monday as the impact of developments in Venezuela was being weighed. While the country sits on about a fifth of the world’s oil reserves, adding to an existing supply glut, observers pointed out that a quick ramp-up of output would be hamstrung by several issues including its creaking infrastructure, low prices, and political uncertainty.
– Key figures at around 0815 GMT –
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 52,518.08 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.4 percent at 26,710.45 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.5 percent at 4,083.67 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 10,049.60
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $57.96 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $61.44 per barrel
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1733 from $1.1714 on Monday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3550 from $1.3525
Dollar/yen: UP at 156.32 yen from 156.31 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 86.59 pence from 86.57 pence
New York – Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 48,977.18 (close)
© 2024 AFP
