U.S. stocks closed at record levels and oil prices traded at their highest marks since 2015 ahead of Asia’s Tuesday trading day.
Amid that backdrop, investors will also be watching for headlines as President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia continues, with the president expected to arrive in South Korea on Tuesday following his two-day visit to Japan.
Moves in the oil markets were front and center on Monday after prices surged to their highest levels since July 2015. That rise follows a political crackdown in Saudi Arabia that began during the weekend. A supposed anti-corruption crackdown resulted in the arrests of billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and other prominent royals, but it is seen by many analysts as a move by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to consolidate his power.
Brent crude futures jumped 3.5 percent to settle at $64.27 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude added 3 percent to settle at $57.35.
Elsewhere, William Dudley, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will step down mid-2018. Dudley has been at the helm of the bank since 2009.
Ahead, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rates decision is due during the day.
U.S. stocks closed higher in the last session as investors focused on Broadcom’s unsolicited bid to buy Qualcomm for $103 billion. If that goes through, it would be the largest tech deal in history.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 0.04 percent, or 9.23 points, for an all-time high of 23,548.42, the S&P 500 rose 0.13 percent to close at a record of 2,591.13 and the Nasdaq composite added 0.33 percent to finish the session at a record 6,786.44.
In Asia, futures suggested a slightly higher open for Japanese equities on Tuesday. Nikkei futures traded in Chicago were up 0.21 percent at 22,595 and Osaka futures were 0.1 percent higher at 22,570. The Nikkei 225 close at 22,548.35 on Monday.
Down Under, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.42 percent in early trade.
Corporates on the earnings calendar on Tuesday include Toyota Motors, Mitsubishi Motors and Singapore Airlines.
Chinese cybersecurity company Qihoo 360 Technology said Monday that “national interest” was one factor for its decision to delist in the U.S. and move to China, Reuters said. Qihoo 360 CEO Zhou Hongyi told the media that cybersecurity companies that were “big enough” had to be “aligned with national interests,” Reuters reported.
Also of note, Samsung’s appeal over a patent lawsuit was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. Apple had been awarded $120 million over patent infringement in a 2016 ruling on the lawsuit, Reuters reported.
Some commodity-linked currencies strengthened in the previous session as oil prices climbed. The Canadian dollar edged up to trade at $1.2710 to the dollar at 6:44 a.m. HK/SIN after trading as high as $1.2701 in the Monday session. The Australian dollar, meanwhile, firmed to trade at $0.7690 compared to the $0.765 handle seen last Friday.
The greenback eased against a basket of currencies, with the dollar index trading at 94.714 after climbing as high as 95.077 in the Monday session.
Here’s the economic calendar for Tuesday (all times in HK/SIN):
- 9:00 a.m.: Philippines October inflation
- 11:30 a.m.: Reserve Bank of Australia decision
- 3:00 p.m.: Malaysia foreign reserves
- China October foreign exchange reserves are also expected during the day
Source: cnbc china
Asian shares to takes cues from Wall Street's record highs as oil surges