Global Markets:
- Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 0.47%, Shanghai Composite down 0.08%, Hang Seng up 0.31%, ASX up 0.80%
- Commodities : Gold at $1550.05 (-0.27%), Silver at $17.90 (-0.19%), Brent Oil at $65.30 (-0.11%), WTI Oil at $59.47 (-0.15%)
- Rates : US 10-year yield at 1.863, UK 10-year yield at 0.820, Germany 10-year yield at -0.227
News & Data:
- (AUD) Retail Sales m/m 0.90% vs 0.40% expected
- (USD) 30-y Bond Auction 2.34|2.5 vs 2.31|2.5 previous
- Trump says China trade deal may be signed shortly after January 15
- Johnson Claims another Victory as Britain Inches Closer to the Brexit Door
Markets Update:
Asian stock markets are mostly higher on Friday following the record closing highs overnight on Wall Street amid easing U.S.-Iran tensions. Investor sentiment was also boosted after China confirmed that Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington next week to sign the phase one trade deal with the U.S. Investors now look ahead to the release of the U.S. Labor Department’s jobs report for December later in the day.
Apple suppliers in Asia were closely monitored after the tech giant’s shares jumped 2.1% to a record high. That was on the back of news that iPhone sales in China rose more than 18% in December, according to Chinese government data.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.5%, while the Topix was up 0.4%. On the earnings front, Japan’s Familymart, the country’s second-largest convenience store chain, is set to report third quarter results on Friday. Ahead of the release, the shares bounced more than 2% in the afternoon. Mainland Chinese markets bucked the upward trend. The Shanghai composite was down 0.1%, while the Shenzhen composite fell 0.2%. Over in South Korea, the Kospi climbed 0.9%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 0.3%.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, continued to strengthen, building on gains through the week. It was last at 97.407. Oil prices on Thursday slipped to levels near prices before U.S.-Iran tensions shot up.
Upcoming Events:
- 01:30 PM GMT – (CAD) Employment Change
- 01:30 PM GMT – (CAD) Unemployment Rate
- 01:30 PM GMT – (USD) Average Hourly Earnings m/m
- 01:30 PM GMT – (USD) Non-Farm Employment Change
- 01:30 PM GMT – (USD) Unemployment Rate
- &more…