Forex Marketz Daily Forex News – Fully Markets Update
Asian markets pulled back this morning following a down day on Wall Street. Regional investors focused on corporate earnings releases as the Japanese corporate season began reporting.
The benchmark Asian bourse, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.43 percent. The major exporters, including auto and technology plays, all trading lower. Toyota shed 1.08 percent, Honda tumbled 2.15 percent and Canon lost 0.42 percent.
Regional investors waited for corporate earnings. These are due later in the day. Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing, the most heavily weighted stock on the Nikkei, is will report its earnings for the final quarter on Thursday. Shares of the company reversed early gains. It is now trading lower by 0.28 percent.
Across the Korean Straight, the Kospi composite index was down by 0.48 percent. Chipmakers, which had also brought the index down in the last session, were lower on Thursday. Samsung Electronics shed some 0.86 percent and SK Hynix was down 0.14 percent.
Asian Auto Makers Lose Ground this Morning
Asian car makers also saw losses today. So did steelmakers like Posco and Hyundai Steel. Each declined 2.01 percent and 1.98 percent, respectively. In Korea, Hyundai Motor fell about 0.64 percent.
In Australia, the benchmark S&P ASX 200 was down 0.56 percent. Most sectors except gold miners were down for Thursday.
The Australian dollar was broadly supported after data showed November retail sales rose better than expected. The AUD/USD Forex market, at noon Hong Kong time, traded at $0.7868. This is up from $0.783 before the release.
