Asia-Pacific equities gained on Friday, extending a global rally fuelled by easing inflation signals and mounting expectations of a United States Federal Reserve rate cut.
By 11:35 am AEST (1:35 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.9%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.5% to extend fresh record highs. South Korea’s Kospi 200 also traded at record valuations, rising 1.2%.
The upbeat tone followed another record-setting session on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.4%, the S&P 500 rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq added 0.7%.
In commodities, Brent crude fell 1.7% to US$66.37 a barrel, while spot gold eased 0.2% from recent record highs to settle at $3,634.12 per ounce.
In China, equities closed stronger on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite gaining 1.7% to 3,875.3 and the CSI 300 rising 2.3% to 4,548.0.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipped 0.4% to 26,086.3, while India’s BSE Sensex added 0.2% to close at 81,548.7.
European markets also ended Thursday higher, with London’s FTSE 100 up 0.8% at 9,297.6, Germany’s DAX adding 0.3% to 23,703.7, and France’s CAC 40 advancing 0.8% to 7,823.5.
