Asian stocks traded modestly higher Tuesday. Investors are waiting for clues on several key events, including rate decisions from the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve, as well as progress onUS-China trade talks in Shanghai.
Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.7%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.2%. Taiwan’s Taiex gained 0.3%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 moved up 0.3%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and the Shanghai Composite Index both edged up 0.2% in early trading.
The Bank of Japan is set to announce its interest rate decision later in the morning. The central bank is expected to keep its ultra-low rates unchanged.
The Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting will also start Tuesday. The US central bank is widely anticipated to cut interest rates for the first time since 2008.
Meanwhile, US-China trade talks are kicking off in Shanghai. It’s the first time that top negotiators from the two countries are meeting in person since their leaders declared a temporary truce at the G20 last month. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are expected to speak with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and other senior officials.
Here are some of the other big moves on Asian markets at 10:30 a.m. Hong Kong time.
- Tencent rose 1.3% in Hong Kong. The Chinese social media and gaming giant announced a partnership Monday with Qualcomm. The companies expect to “optimize” Tencent games on devices that use Qualcomm chips, among other efforts. Separately, Tencent announced it would renew a partnership for five years with the NBA.
- The Chinese movie and TV production company Beijing Enlight Media advanced 2%, building on its Monday gains. The stock received a boost after its animated film “Nezha” broke local records for an animated film’s opening. It pulled in $102 million in ticketing revenue for the first three days, according to the company.
- The Japanese yen weakened against the US dollar Tuesday morning. It traded at ¥108.8000 per dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy announcement.
- Hong Kong is set to announce its second-quarter GDP figures later this week. Analysts expect the local economy to be hurt by the city’s massive protests. On Monday, Hong Kong stocks closed 1% lower.
- Oil prices rose in early Asian trading. WTI crude and Brent crude were both up 0.5%, trading at $57.15 per barrel and $63.88 per barrel, respectively.
- US stocks ended mixed Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1%. But the S&P 500 index lost 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.4%.
