Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
Asia report: Markets mostly lower after US inflation print
(Sharecast News) - Asia-Pacific markets mostly dipped on Thursday following the release of higher-than-anticipated US inflation data for March overnight. Concerns over a potential prolonged period of elevated interest rates by the Federal Reserve weighed on investor sentiment.
"After receiving mostly negative signals from Wall Street on Wednesday, Asian stock markets are mostly trading down on Thursday," said TickMill market analyst Patrick Munnelly.
"This comes as hopes for a quick interest rate cut by the US Fed diminish following the release of data showing a larger than anticipated rise in US consumer price inflation in March.
"The inflation data also led to a sharp increase in treasury yields."
Munnelly noted that the Japanese market was experiencing a significant decline on Thursday, continuing its losses from the last session.
"This is in response to the overall negative trends seen on Wall Street the previous night.
"The Nikkei 225 has dropped below the 39,400 handle, with declines in major index components and technology stocks being partially balanced by gains in financial stocks."
Most markets lower on mixed day for Asia-Pacific region
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 edged down 0.35% to close at 39,442.63, while the Topix managed a modest gain of 0.15% to reach 2,746.96.
Seven & i Holdings, Mitsui Fudosan, and Aeon were among the leading decliners in Tokyo, with losses of 4.8%, 4.02%, and 3.93%, respectively.
China's major indices were in the green, with the Shanghai Composite rising by 0.28% to 3,034.25, and the Shenzhen Component inching up by 0.03% to 9,300.77.
Leading the gainers in Shanghai were China XD Electric and GuangDong GenSho Logistics, both recording increases of 10.04%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slipped by 0.26% to 17,095.03, with Zhongsheng Group, New World Development, and Chow Tai Fook Jewellery experiencing notable declines of 6.25%, 4.3%, and 4.28%, respectively.
South Korea's Kospi index saw marginal growth of 0.07% to reach 2,706.96, with Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems and Kumho Tire registering gains of 9.69% and 9.26%, respectively.
Meanwhile, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined by 0.44% to 7,813.60, with Netwealth Group and Sonic Healthcare both seeing losses of 5.03% and 3.97%, respectively.
In New Zealand, the S&P/NZX 50 index edged down by 0.31% to 11,934.31, with Synlait Milk and Eroad experiencing respective declines of 4.84% and 4.49%.
In currency markets, the dollar was last up 0.02% on the yen to trade at JPY 153.19, while weakened 0.17% against the Aussie to AUD 1.5329, and by 0.25% on the Kiwi to change hands at NZD 1.6696.
Regarding oil prices, Brent crude futures were last up 0.31% on ICE at $90.76 per barrel, while the NYMEX quote for West Texas Intermediate increased 0.27% to $86.44.
Consumer prices rise less than expected in China, producer prices meet forecasts
In economic news, China's consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) for March both diverged from analysts' expectations.
The CPI rose by a mere 0.1% year-on-year, a significant decrease from the 0.7% increase recorded in February and falling below the 0.4% forecast by economists surveyed by Reuters.
Moreover, on a month-on-month basis, the CPI plummeted by 1%, a stark contrast to the anticipated 0.5% decline.
Along with the CPI data, China's PPI experienced a 2.8% decline in March compared to the same period last year, aligning with market expectations.
The People's Bank of China also made headlines on Thursday, setting the yuan's midpoint fixing rate at CNY 7.0968 per dollar.
That rate stood 1,654 basis points stronger than the estimate from Reuters, marking the largest deviation since Reuters started its estimations in 2018.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Doing Business with Fidelity | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reports | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Staying secure | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing policy
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.