Asian equities track Wall Street higher

Asia follows Wall Street higher

Wall Street staged an impressive rally after better than expected retail sales and consumer sentiment data from the US on Friday, as markets focused on a still-robust US consumer while ignoring its ominous warnings for the trajectory of Fed monetary policy. With a dearth of tier-1 data this week, and the FOMC in a pre-meeting media blackout, the equity rally could potentially extend throughout the week. Looking at the S&P 500 chart today, the technical picture certainly suggests that. The S&P 500 could rally back to 4,050.00, its March downtrend line, and still be in a bear market. To start saying the worst was over for equity markets would require a sustained break of that level and preferably, the 100-day moving average (DMA) at 4,140.00.

Friday saw the S&P 500 rally by 1.92%, the Nasdaq rally by 1.79% with the Dow Jones the session’s outperformer, leaping higher by 2.15%. US futures are performing well in Asia today. S&P 500 futures are up 0.40% while Nasdaq futures have jumped 0.95% higher, with Dow futures gaining 0.20%. Banking heavyweights Bank of America and Goldman Sachs are releasing earnings today, although I believe it would take nightmare results and outlooks from both to give markets pause for thought.

Asian markets are content to track Wall Street this morning, helped along by hopes of more aggressive stimulus measures in China to resolve its property market wobbles. Japan’s Nikkei 225 is closed today, while South Korea’s tech-centric Kospi leaping 1.75% higher. In China, the Shanghai Composite has leapt 1.50% higher, with the CSI 300 rallying by 1.20% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gaining an impressive 2.55%.

Across regional markets, better Singapore NODX data has lifted the Straits Times 0.65% higher, with Taipei adding 0.60%, while Kuala Lumpur is lagging at unchanged. Jakarta added 0.20%, Bangkok 0.25%, and Manila eased by 0.25% as the peso remains under pressure. Australian markets are also higher after the Wall Street rally, the All Ordinaries rising by 0.90%, and the ASX 200 gaining 0.85%.

European markets also enjoyed a very positive session on Friday. But with the ECB looming on Thursday and the scheduled resumption of Russian gas deliveries, European equities may struggle to replicate Friday’s gains this week.

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