Asian Markets Rise as Wall Street Sets New Records and Oil Prices Ease
Asian shares traded mostly higher on Thursday after US stocks hit fresh record highs, rebounding from a brief stumble earlier in the week.
Markets in mainland China jumped more than 1% as trading resumed following a week-long holiday. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2% to 3,931.07, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.1% to 26,840.95.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to 48,369.90, boosted by an 11% surge in SoftBank Group shares after the company announced a $5.4 billion (£4 billion) deal to acquire the robotics unit of Swiss engineering firm ABB, marking its continued expansion into artificial intelligence.
Elsewhere, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.2% to 8,965.90, and Taiwan’s Taiex advanced 1.3%.
Oil prices fell after Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in Gaza to allow the release of remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped 38 cents to $65.87 per barrel.
Gold eased slightly after recent record-breaking gains but remained elevated at $4,048.20 per ounce.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 6,753.72, setting another all-time high. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.1% to 23,043.38, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed, edging down 0.1% to 46,601.78.
In bond markets, the 10-year US Treasury yield ticked up to 4.131%, from 4.129% the previous day.
