Asian indices mostly higher on ECB assurance, PBOC liquidity
2014/11/07Asian equities were mostly upbeat in Friday's mid-morning trade, buoyed by overnight assurances from the European Central Bank as well as confirmation from the Chinese central bank that it has injected liquidity into the banking system. Overnight, U.S. stocks rose amid a volatile session, with the blue-chip Dow and S&P 500 hitting fresh records, after ECB President Mario Draghi said that the central bank will adopt further easing measures, if needed.
Read More Could a strong dollar derail Wall Street's rally? Upbeat economic data from the U.S. also boosted sentiment. The government's tally of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell by 10,000 to 278,000 last week, compared with expectations of 285,000. Another report had productivity rising more than estimated in the third quarter.
U.S. nonfarm payrolls for October are due later in the day. Economists polled by Reuters forecast the report adding 235,000 jobs to the economy and the unemployment rate unchanged from the preceding month at 5.9 percent.
Tokyo surges 0.7% Japan's Nikkei 225 (Nihon Kenzai Shinbun: .N225) index recouped most of Thursday's losses, helped by the Japanese yen which hovered above a seven-year high of 115 against the U.S. dollar (Exchange:.DXY), early Friday. As such, exporter stocks rallied, with Sony (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6758.T-JP) and Panasonic (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6752.T-JP) adding nearly 2 percent each. Automotive parts maker Takata Corporation reversed early gains to plunge 3.3 percent in mid-morning trade, dragged down by an ongoing crisis sparked by its defective airbags which has so far prompted the recall of almost 17 million vehicles worldwide made by at least 10 carmakers including Toyota Motor (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7203.T-JP).
Read More APEC summit kicks off in China: What to expect Mainland shares mixed China's benchmark Shanghai Composite opened marginally above the flatline, while Hong Kong's equities fell 0.6 percent. Chinese authorities confirmed that they have pumped in 769.5 billion yuan of liquidity to the banking system, aimed at supporting slower growth in China's base money on a diminished supply of dollars in September and October.
Sydney rises 0.5% Australia's benchmark S&P ASX 200 (^AXJO) index reversed opening losses to move higher above the flatline on the last trading day of the week. Miners brushed off a fresh 5-year low in iron ore prices; Atlas Iron (ASX:AGO-AU) and BC Iron (ASX:BCI-AU) advanced 3.3 and 5.4 percent respectively while Fortescue Metal (ASX:FMG-AU) rallied 2.5 percent. In its monetary policy statement, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) highlighted the risk of a crash in the Chinese property market and a still-high local dollar as key sources of uncertainty.
Read More Australia bears sharpen their claws Seoul rebounds 0.1% South Korean shares entered a two-day winning streak amid volatile trade, after reversing a 0.2 percent loss at the open.
