Nikada
Japan (NKY:IND) +0.61%. Japan’s industrial output rises 1.8%; retail sales miss forecast in December
Japan January consumer confidence index 38.0 vs 37.2 prior.
China (SHCOMP) -1.48%. China January Manufacturing PMI 49.2 (vs. 49.2 expected) Services 50.7 (expected 50.6).
Hong Kong (HSI) -1.68%.
India (SENSEX) +0.74%. Traders focused on the interim Budget 2024-25 due Thursday, particularly regarding taxation of investment relating to the capital market.
Australia (AS51) +1.06%. Australian Q4 headline CPI 4.1% y/y vs 4.3% expected.
In the U.S. on Tuesday, all three major indexes ended mixed, after the JOLTS report showed an unexpected rise in job openings to 9 million, cutting bets for a 25bps rate cut by the Fed in March.
U.S. stock futures were mixed on Wednesday as investors reacted to the latest batch of corporate earnings reports: Dow +0.06%; S&P 500 -0.34%; Nasdaq -0.71%.
Investors geared up for the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision later in the global day. The Fed is widely expected to hold interest rates steady, but traders will focus on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks after the meeting for clues on the potential for rate cuts this year.
Elsewhere, investors stayed cautious about risks of a wider geopolitical conflict in the Middle East following a deadly drone attack on US troops near the Jordan-Syria border last week.
Currencies: (JPY:USD), (CNY:USD), (AUD:USD), (INR:USD), (HKD:USD), (NZD:USD).