Tokyo, Dec 23 (AP) World shares were mostly higher on Tuesday in holiday-thinned trading ahead of the release of data on how the US economy fared in the third quarter.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up less than 0.1 per cent.
Germany’s DAX edged 0.1 per cent higher to 24,318.93, while the CAC 40 in Paris slipped 0.2 per cent to 8,105.88.
Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.1 per cent at 9,873.63.
Again touching new records, the price of gold rose 1 per cent early Tuesday to USD 4,512.00 an ounce, adding to its consistent gains throughout the year, while silver rose 1.4 per cent to USD 69.52 an ounce.
In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was flat at 50,412,87 and the dollar fell against the Japanese yen after officials in Tokyo warned they would intervene if the yen weakened further.
The dollar was trading at 155.95 yen, down from 157.04 yen late Monday. Instead of gaining after the Bank of Japan raised its key policy rate on Friday, the yen had weakened, drawing the usual objections from the Finance Ministry to larger-than-usual currency fluctuations.
“The hint of currency intervention proved to be such a serious threat that the yen, which had been significantly oversold after the Bank of Japan meeting, rose from the ashes,” Alex Kruptsikevich of FXPro said in a commentary.
The euro climbed to USD 1.1797 from USD 1.1762.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up early gains to fall 0.1 per cent to 25,774.14. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1 per cent higher, to 3,919.98.
South Korea’s Kospi added 0.3 per cent to 4,117.32, while the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia jumped 1.1 per cent to 8,795.70.
In Taiwan, the Taiex advanced 0.6 per cent, while India’s Sensex was nearly unchanged.
Markets in the US will close early on Wednesday for Christmas Eve and remain closed on Thursday for Christmas. The short week for trading includes several economic reports that could shed more light on the condition and direction of the US economy.
The government was due to release the first of three estimates on gross domestic product, a reflection of how the broader US economy fared in the third quarter, later Tuesday. Wednesday will bring a weekly update from the Labour Department on applications for jobless benefits, a proxy for US layoffs.
Also on Tuesday, the Conference Board will offer results from its December consumer confidence survey.
On Monday, the S&P 500 rose 0.6 per cent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5 per cent. The Nasdaq composite picked up 0.5 per cent.
Smaller company stocks did particularly well. The Russell 2000 index outpaced other major indexes with a 1.2 per cent gain.
Oil prices edged higher after jumping more than 2 per cent on Monday when the US Coast Guard said it was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean.
US benchmark crude added 7 cents to USD 58.08 per barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, gained 11 cents to USD 62.18 per barrel.
Recent reports have shown that US inflation remains elevated, and consumer confidence has faded over the last year. Overall, the job market has been slowing, and retail sales have weakened.
The wide-ranging US trade war has been hanging over consumers and businesses already squeezed and worried by higher prices. The mix of stubbornly high inflation and a weaker jobs market has also put the Fed in an awkward policy position moving forward.
Still, Wall Street is mostly betting that the Fed will hold steady on interest rates at its meeting in January. It has cut its benchmark interest rate at its last three meetings, even though inflation has remained stubbornly above its 2 per cent target. (AP) SKS SKS
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