Asian markets advance as more records fall on Wall Street

By Marketwatch and Associated Press

Reuters

The Hong Kong skyline is lit up.

Asian markets mostly gained in early trading Friday, after yet more record highs on Wall Street.

Japan’s Nikkei /zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed JP:NIK +0.95%   was about flat, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index /zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed HK:HSI +1.23%   gained 1.2%. The Shanghai Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed CN:SHCOMP +0.28%   advanced 0.7% while the Shenzhen Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598015/delayed CN:399106 +0.34%   edged up 0.5%. South Korea’s Kospi /zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed KR:180721 +0.97%   inched up 0.5%. Benchmark indexes in Taiwan /zigman2/quotes/210597977/delayed TW:Y9999 +0.13%  , Singapore /zigman2/quotes/210597985/delayed SG:STI +0.17%   and Indonesia /zigman2/quotes/210597981/delayed ID:JAKIDX -0.20%   rose, while stocks were little changed in Malaysia /zigman2/quotes/210598052/delayed MY:FBMKLCI +0.04%  . Australia’s S&P ASX 200 /zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed AU:XJO +0.75%   rose 0.3%.

Among individual stocks, SoftBank /zigman2/quotes/207303954/delayed JP:9984 +3.15%   and Yahoo Japan parent Z Holdings /zigman2/quotes/207641152/delayed JP:4689 +0.89%  advanced in Tokyo trading, while Fast Retailing /zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed JP:9983 +0.68%   and pharmaceutical company Otsuka Holdings /zigman2/quotes/201681622/delayed JP:4578 +0.36%   declined. In Hong Kong, property developer Country Garden /zigman2/quotes/201681083/delayed HK:2007 -2.19%   and casino operators Galaxy Entertainment /zigman2/quotes/202884203/delayed HK:27 +2.52%   and Sands China /zigman2/quotes/207609245/delayed HK:1928 +3.20%   gained. Samsung /zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed KR:005930 +1.11%   surged in South Korea, and Taiwan Semiconductor /zigman2/quotes/207385621/delayed TW:2330 -0.37%   rose in Taiwan. Beach Energy /zigman2/quotes/200513631/delayed AU:BPT +1.25%   fell while BHP /zigman2/quotes/201448516/delayed AU:BHP +1.97%   gained in Australia.

U.S. stocks returned from the Christmas holiday and powered higher again Thursday, helped by reports of record year-end retail sales. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index /zigman2/quotes/210598365/realtime COMP +0.73%  closed at 9,000 for the first time ever, closing above 9,022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA +0.43%   and the S&P 500 /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX +0.57%   closed at record highs as well.

European markets will reopen Friday after a two-day Christmas holiday.

Investors welcomed President Donald Trump’s comment that an interim “Phase 1” trade deal was “getting done.” Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would hold a signing ceremony.

Markets have been encouraged by positive comments about the agreement, though details have yet to be released.

Chinese customs data this week showed soybean imports rose in November in a possible boost to American farmers. Midwestern farm states were battered by Beijing’s suspension of purchases of U.S. soybeans, the biggest Chinese import from the United States, in response to Trump’s tariff hikes in a fight over China’s technology ambitions and trade surplus.

“Broadly risk sentiment is positive,” Mizuho Bank said in a report.

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Benchmark U.S. crude /zigman2/quotes/209723049/delayed CL00 -0.09%   gained 13 cents to $61.81 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added 57 cents on Thursday to close at $61.88. Brent crude  , used to price international oils, advanced 6 cents to $66.82 per barrel in London. It rose 60 cents the previous session to $66.76.

The dollar /zigman2/quotes/210561789/realtime/sampled USDJPY +0.1545%   weakened to 109.47 yen from Thursday’s 109.57 yen.

/zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:NIK

NIKKEI 225 Index

JP : Nikkei

28,046.75

+263.82 +0.95%

Volume: 0.00

March 31, 2023 11:30a

/zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:HSI

Hang Seng Index

HK : Hong Kong Exchange

20,559.55

+250.42 +1.23%

Volume: 1.16M

March 31, 2023 10:58a

/zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed

Add to watchlist CN:SHCOMP

Shanghai Composite Index

CN : China: Shanghai

3,270.23

+8.98 +0.28%

Volume: 14.17B

March 31, 2023 10:58a

/zigman2/quotes/210598015/delayed

Add to watchlist CN:399106

Shenzhen Composite Index

CN : Shenhzen Stock Exchange

2,115.36

+7.08 +0.34%

Volume: 19.46B

March 31, 2023 10:58a

/zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed

Add to watchlist KR:180721

KOSPI Composite Index

KR : Korea Exchange

2,476.97

+23.81 +0.97%

Volume: 425,963

March 31, 2023 11:53a

/zigman2/quotes/210597977/delayed

Add to watchlist TW:Y9999

Taiwan TAIEX

TW : Taiwan Stock Exchange

15,869.66

+20.23 +0.13%

Volume: 0.00

March 31, 2023 10:53a

/zigman2/quotes/210597985/delayed

Add to watchlist SG:STI

FTSE Straits Times Index

SG : Singapore: SGX

3,262.85

+5.67 +0.17%

Volume: 0.00

March 31, 2023 10:58a

/zigman2/quotes/210597981/delayed

Add to watchlist ID:JAKIDX

JSX Composite Index

ID : Indonesia Stock Exchange

6,795.67

-13.28 -0.20%

Volume: 0.00

March 31, 2023 10:03a

/zigman2/quotes/210598052/delayed

Add to watchlist MY:FBMKLCI

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI

MY : Malaysia

1,425.22

+0.61 +0.04%

Volume: 0.00

March 31, 2023 10:58a

/zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed

Add to watchlist AU:XJO

S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index

AU : S&P ASX

7,175.80

+53.50 +0.75%

Volume: 337,892

March 31, 2023 1:53p

/zigman2/quotes/207303954/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:9984

SoftBank Group Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 5,244.00

+160.00 +3.15%

Volume: 9.72M

March 31, 2023 11:30a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.84%

Market Cap

¥7590.16 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥121.67M

/zigman2/quotes/207641152/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:4689

Z Holdings Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 372.50

+3.30 +0.89%

Volume: 4.07M

March 31, 2023 11:30a

P/E Ratio

14.69

Dividend Yield

1.49%

Market Cap

¥2841.50 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥69.43M

/zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:9983

Fast Retailing Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 28,895.00

+195.00 +0.68%

Volume: 563,500

March 31, 2023 11:30a

P/E Ratio

33.50

Dividend Yield

0.80%

Market Cap

¥8912.19 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥41.51M

/zigman2/quotes/201681622/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:4578

Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 4,211.00

+15.00 +0.36%

Volume: 444,700

March 31, 2023 11:30a

P/E Ratio

17.06

Dividend Yield

2.37%

Market Cap

¥2292.73 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥52.31M

/zigman2/quotes/201681083/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:2007

Country Garden Holdings Co. Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

$ 2.23

-0.05 -2.19%

Volume: 64.25M

March 31, 2023 10:58a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

5.33%

Market Cap

$59.38 billion

Rev. per Employee

$7.16M

/zigman2/quotes/202884203/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:27

Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

$ 52.90

+1.30 +2.52%

Volume: 5.51M

March 31, 2023 10:56a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.00%

Market Cap

$224.46 billion

Rev. per Employee

$474,652

/zigman2/quotes/207609245/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:1928

Sands China Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

$ 27.45

+0.85 +3.20%

Volume: 7.87M

March 31, 2023 10:58a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.00%

Market Cap

$212.85 billion

Rev. per Employee

$331,452

/zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed

Add to watchlist KR:005930

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

KR : S. Korea: KRX

₩ 63,900.00

+700.00 +1.11%

Volume: 6.26M

March 31, 2023 11:53a

P/E Ratio

7.93

Dividend Yield

2.26%

Market Cap

₩418165.24 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/207385621/delayed

Add to watchlist TW:2330

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

TW : Taiwan

NT$ 533.00

-2.00 -0.37%

Volume: 8.39M

March 31, 2023 10:53a

P/E Ratio

13.60

Dividend Yield

2.06%

Market Cap

NT$13744.22 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/200513631/delayed

Add to watchlist AU:BPT

Beach Energy Ltd.

AU : Australia: Sydney

$ 1.42

+0.02 +1.25%

Volume: 4.39M

March 31, 2023 1:52p

P/E Ratio

6.56

Dividend Yield

2.11%

Market Cap

$3.19 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/201448516/delayed

Add to watchlist AU:BHP

BHP Group Ltd.

AU : Australia: Sydney

$ 46.99

+0.91 +1.97%

Volume: 5.55M

March 31, 2023 1:53p

P/E Ratio

8.47

Dividend Yield

8.41%

Market Cap

$227.92 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/210598365/realtime

Add to watchlist COMP

NASDAQ Composite Index

US : Nasdaq

12,013.47

+87.24 +0.73%

Volume: 4.77B

March 30, 2023 5:16p

/zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime

Add to watchlist DJIA

Dow Jones Industrial Average

US : Dow Jones Global

32,859.03

+141.43 +0.43%

Volume: 0.00

March 30, 2023 5:48p

/zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime

Add to watchlist SPX

S&P 500 Index

US : S&P US

4,050.83

+23.02 +0.57%

Volume: 0.00

March 30, 2023 5:48p

/zigman2/quotes/209723049/delayed

Add to watchlist CL00

Crude Oil Continuous Contract

US : U.S.: Nymex

$ 74.30

-0.07 -0.09%

Volume: 8,801

March 30, 2023 11:03p

/zigman2/quotes/210561789/realtime/sampled

Add to watchlist USDJPY

Japanese Yen

US : Tullett Prebon

132.9290

+0.2050 +0.1545%

Volume: 0.0000

March 30, 2023 11:13p