MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.1%, staying not far from a 15-month high reached earlier in the week
Asian shares steadied on Thursday after solid Chinese trade data added to signs domestic demand in the world’s second-biggest economy is picking up, while the yen stabilised after three days of declines as Japan talked up potential currency interventions.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.1%, staying not far from a 15-month high reached earlier in the week after Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated a stance for policy easing later this year.
Chinese customs data showed that imports climbed 8.4% in April from a year ago, beating expectations for an increase of 4.8%, while the rise in exports met forecasts.
That helped Chinese shares build on earlier gains, with bluechip stocks gaining 1% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rising 1.2%.
Japan’s Nikkei added 0.5%. Nasdaq stock futures dropped 0.1%, dragged down by Uber, which dropped 5.7% overnight as the ride-sharing firm issued a downbeat forecast after a surprise quarterly loss.
The Japanese yen stabilised at 155.55 per dollar after dropping for three sessions. It increased more than 3% last week after Japanese authorities likely intervened in the market twice to stem its rapid declines.
On Thursday, the top currency diplomat Masato Kanda said there is no limit for reserves in currency intervention, keeping traders on edge, while minutes from the Bank of Japan’s April meeting showed policymakers turned overwhelmingly hawkish, helping the yen stabilise.
However, Japan’s real wages in March dropped 2.5% from a year earlier, marking declines for two years, an argument for policymakers to not hike aggressively.
Oil prices were higher on Thursday, having risen from two-month lows the previous session. Brent futures gained 0.4% to $83.91 a barrel, while U.S. crude added 0.5% to $79.40 a barrel.
Gold prices were up 0.1% at $2,311.23 per ounce.
