Global Markets:
- Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei down -0.14%, Shanghai Composite up 0.33%, Hang Seng up 0.24% ASX down -0.79%
- Commodities : Gold at $3,381.47 (0.10%), Silver at $38.945 (-0.22%), Brent Oil at $66.17 (-0.65%), WTI Oil at $62.26 (-0.70%)
- Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.342, UK 10-year yield at 4.7430, Germany 10-year yield at 2.7759
News & Data:
- (CAD) Housing Starts 294K to 264K expected
Markets Update:
Asian stock markets traded mostly higher on Tuesday, tracking mixed Wall Street cues, as optimism grew over a possible Russia-Ukraine truce. U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly arranging a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, raising hopes for an end to the conflict and easing pressure on global trade already disrupted by new U.S. tariffs.
In Australia, equities extended losses, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 52 points or 0.58 percent at 8,907.30. Weakness in energy and mining stocks outweighed gains in banks. BHP rose over 1 percent, but Rio Tinto and Fortescue edged lower. Oil stocks fell sharply, with Santos dropping more than 3 percent. Tech stocks were mixed, while gold miners mostly slipped. Sentiment improved slightly after the Westpac-Melbourne Consumer Sentiment Index rose 5.7 percent in August, the strongest since February 2022. The Aussie dollar traded at $0.649.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 61.99 points or 0.14 percent to 43,652.32, pressured by losses in index heavyweights and banks. SoftBank fell nearly 4 percent, while automakers gained, led by Toyota. Exporters were mostly higher, though losses in Fujikura, IHI, and Nintendo weighed. The yen hovered in the upper 147 range per dollar.
Elsewhere, China, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Singapore, and Indonesia posted modest gains, while Hong Kong and Malaysia traded flat. On Wall Street, major averages closed little changed, while European markets ended mixed. Crude oil rose nearly 1 percent to $63.40 per barrel on renewed geopolitical concerns.
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