Buildings in the Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai, China, Monday, January 29, 2024.
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Asia-Pacific markets were mixed ahead of the central bank’s decision this week, with investors also awaiting inflation data from the United States and China.
The Bank of Korea, the Bank of New Zealand, the Bank of Thailand and the Bank of the Philippines are scheduled to hold monetary policy meetings this week.
S&P Global expects four banks to keep interest rates steady, but adds in its comments “The Bank of Korea may be one of the banks that is close to lowering interest rates, and comments will be in focus.” The Bank of Korea was one of the first Asian banks to stop its interest rate hike cycle in 2023.
Later this week, inflation data from the United States and China will be in focus, with China also releasing March trade data on Friday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index The rally broke through the 39,000 mark, rising 1.01% in early trading, while the Topix gained 0.77%.
Korean Cospi fell 0.17%, while the small-cap Kosdaq index fell even more, at 0.76%.
In Australia, S&P/ASX 200 Index It opened the day up 0.15%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index futures were quoted at 16,779 points, opening stronger than the Hang Seng Index’s last closing point of 16,723.92 points.
On Friday, all three major U.S. stock indexes recovered losses after a stronger-than-expected jobs report, with the Labor Department reporting that employment growth totaled 303,000 in March.
Nonfarm payrolls are expected to increase by 200,000, according to Dow Jones estimates. Wages rose 0.3% this month and 4.1% annually, both in line with expectations.
30 stocks Dow Chemical rose 0.8%, while S&P 500 Index up 1.11%.High-tech Nasdaq Index up 1.24%.
—CNBC’s Pia Singh and Alex Harring contributed to this report.
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