Global Markets Higher After Wall St Up Moderately

Tokyo: Global shares rose moderately Thursday after a lackluster finish on Wall Street, with most shares ticking higher after the Federal Reserve left its main interest rate unchanged, as was widely expected.

France’s CAC 40 rose 0.7 per cent in early trading to 7,682.21, while Germany’s DAX jumped 1.0 per cent to 23,347.88. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.3 per cent to 8,581.51. US shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures gaining 0.5 per cent to 41,434.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.9 per cent to 5,701.25.

In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.4 per cent to finish at 36,928.63. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 per cent to 8,191.70. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.2 per cent to 2,579.48. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 0.4 per cent to 22,775.92, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3 per cent to 3,352.00.

Investors continue to watch with trepidation US President Donald Trump’s comments about the trade imbalance, as well as the reactions from various nations to appease the Trump administration and the overall confusion over the long-term economic impact. Geopolitical tensions also weighed on market sentiments, centred around the standoff between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan has said it will avenge those killed by India’s missile strikes, which New Delhi called retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists in Pahalgam.Pakistan called the strikes an act of war. The missiles killed 31 people, including women and children, in PoK and the country’s Punjab province, Pakistan’s military said. The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” India’s Defence Ministry said. Two mosques were hit.