Asia-Pacific markets traded higher on Monday, with Japan and South Korea pushing towards record valuations, as China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged.
By 11:40 am AEST (1:40 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.5%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.5%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 gained 0.7%.
In its latest policy update, the People’s Bank of China kept the one-year loan prime rate at 3.0% and the five-year rate at 3.5%, in line with market expectations.
Global equity sentiment was supported by Wall Street’s positive close on Friday, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4%, the S&P 500 gained 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.7%, all finishing at fresh record highs.
Commodities were mixed. Brent crude slipped 1.1% to settle at US$66.68 per barrel, while spot gold rose US$40.79, or 1.1%, to US$3,684.98 per ounce.
In China, equities ended Friday mixed, with the Shanghai Composite down 0.3% at 3,820.1, while the CSI 300 edged 0.1% higher to 4,501.9.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index finished flat at 26,545.1, while India’s BSE Sensex retreated 0.5% from eight-week highs to close at 82,626.2.
European markets ended last week marginally lower. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.1% to 9,216.7, Germany’s DAX lost 0.2% to 23,639.4, and France’s CAC 40 eased 0.01% to 7,853.6.
