Asian markets mixed
Wall Street had a mixed night overnight, even as US yields tracked lower. The dearth of data releases globally continued although the second-tier data from the US continued to be positive. The Case-Shiller House Price Index and US House Price Index releases rose as expected, while the Redbook activity report rose to 21.40% for December YoY, and the Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index and Dallas Fed Services Index both beat expectations.
Investors in big-tech trimmed long positions and it looked for all money like a defensive rotation from growth into value as the Nasdaq fell, while the Dow Jones gained. The S&P 500 was almost unchanged, rising just 0.10%. The Nasdaq fell by 0.56%, while the Dow Jones rose by 0.26%. In Asia, that trend has continued with Dow futures rising another 0.27%, with the S&P unchanged and Nasdaq futures falling 0.15%.
That has led to a North Asia ASEAN split today, with more tech-centric North Asia markets retreating, while ASEAN has moved higher. The Nikkei 225 and South Korean Kospi have dropped by 0.85%. Mainland China is under pressure, the Shanghai Composite easing 0.55% while the CSI 300 has retreated 1.0% lower. Hong Kong has followed them South, falling 0.65%.
Singapore has risen by 0.30% today, with Taipei jumping 0.80% higher, bucking the tech trend lower. Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur are unchanged with, Bangkok rallying by 0.15%, while Manila is 0.40% lower. Australian markets are full of optimism today, led by, you guessed it, banks, and resources. The ASX 200 and All Ordinaries have rallied by 1.15%.
