TOKYO: Asian shares rose to a record high and US stock futures gained on Wednesday as investors tracked positive news on COVID-19 vaccines and ongoing efforts to launch more fiscal stimulus.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.65 per cent. At one point the index reached 647.78, an all-time peak. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe also hit a record high. Australian shares gained 0.61 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.27 per cent to approach a 29 ½-year high.
Sentiment got an added boost after Japanese data pointed to a rebound in capital expenditure. South Korean stocks also jumped by 1.6 per cent to trade near a record high. Shares in China bucked the trend and fell 0.68 per cent on profit taking. Euro Stoxx 50 futures rose 0.45 per cent, German DAX futures were up 0.37 per cent, and FTSE futures in London added 0.48 per cent.
US S&P 500 e-mini stock futures rose 0.23 per cent after shares on Wall Street notched new record highs on Tuesday, boosted by positive vaccine news and seeming progress on US stimulus talks.
The British pound was little changed before make-or-break talks on a trade deal between Britain and the European Union. “While hopes are still alive that a fresh stimulus package for the United States will be agreed on soon, it is looking less likely a Brexit deal will be made with negotiators from both sides acknowledging a deal may not be achieved,” analysts at ANZ Bank wrote in a research memo.
“The next 24 hours will be critical and is likely to cause market volatility depending on what is or isn’t agreed.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.35 per cent on Tuesday, the S&P 500 gained 0.28 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.5 per cent. US policymakers continued to negotiate over additional
stimulus to help offset the economic impact of the pandemic while pursuing a stopgap government funding bill.
Leaders in both parties remain adamant a deal must be struck but are still working through sticking points, including aid to state and local governments and business liability protections. The steady march of positive news on COVID-19 vaccines helped lift investor spirits.
Britain on Tuesday became the first Western nation to begin a wide vaccination campaign, and Johnson & Johnson reported it could obtain late-stage trial results for a single-dose vaccine in January, earlier than expected.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc cleared another hurdle when the US health regulator released documents flagging no new safety or efficacy concerns.
But the looming prospect of a “no deal” Brexit weighed on sentiment for sterling, which last traded at $1.3379 and at 90.68 pence per euro.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU’s executive European Commission, for dinner in Brussels on Wednesday to try and close gaps their negotiators have struggled with for months.
Against a basket of currencies the dollar sat at 90.802, which is just above a two-and-a-half-year low it hit on Friday as optimism about vaccines lured short sellers.
Highlighting the dollar’s weakness, the offshore Chinese yuan strengthened past 6.5000 to reach the strongest level in more than two years.
The onshore yuan also traded near its highest in more than two years. Benchmark US 10-year Treasury yields edged up to 0.9394 per cent on Wednesday.
— Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
