Today's Edition
HONG KONG (AFP)
Stocks mostly rose on Monday as investors assess how the land lies on the trade war front with countries seeking to temper Donald Trump's eye-watering tariffs.
Investors were also keeping tabs on China after President Xi Jinping and other top leaders last week discussed plans to boost consumption in the world's number two economy.
Markets started Monday on a tepid note after a much-needed positive run-up last week, with eyes on the upcoming earnings season, key data, and central bank decisions.
“We head into month-end and a risk event-heavy trading week, with a 'cautiously optimistic' stance adopted by the collective,” said Chris Weston at Pepperstone.
“Whether the move in risk can kick (on) will be determined by the incoming economic data and US company earnings, but the bar to beat expectations remains low and the wall of worry is there for climbing.”
He added that while caution remained, there was optimism that the White House was sensitive to extreme market reactions.
After a strong end to last week on Wall Street, Asia enjoyed a largely healthy start.
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Mumbai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Wellington rose but Shanghai and Singapore edged down while Manila was flat.|
London, Paris and Frankfurt started on the front foot.
The more positive mood weighed on gold, which hit a record high around $3,500 last week as investors flocked to safe havens.
