Asia-Pacific markets were up on Wednesday as Wall Street moved higher overnight, shaking off concerns over trade tensions between the United States and China.
Investors are closely watching China as its markets reopen following the Lunar New Year holidays. On Tuesday, the Chinese government announced new tariffs on U.S. imports in response to duties imposed on its exports.
Australia’s ASX 200 added 0.6% at the open, while Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.5%. South Korea’s Kospi started the session 0.9% higher, as the country’s consumer price index (CPI) for January increased 2.2% annually, exceeding the 1.9% forecast.
In the U.S., major indices climbed overnight despite ongoing trade concerns. The Nasdaq Composite, driven by tech sector strength, jumped 1.4% to 19,654, while the S&P 500 gained 0.7% to 6,037.9. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 134.1 points, or 0.3%, to 44,556.
Palantir surged 24% on strong fourth-quarter results, and Nvidia advanced 1.7% during the session.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil rose slightly by 0.1% to US$76.00 per barrel, while gold climbed 0.9% to US$2,841.52.
India’s stock market also ended higher, with the BSE SENSEX gaining 1.8% to 78,583.8.
In Europe, markets saw mixed performance. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index edged down 0.1% to 8,570.8, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% to 21,505.7, and France’s CAC 40 increased by 0.7% to 7,906.4.
