由 jpichiban Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:15:38 GMT
China has set a GDP target of around 5% for yet another year, amid analyst concerns of insufficient policy support to reach the goal.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday as investors awaited India’s interest rate decision, and assessed Japan’s household spending data. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.12%.Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.34% and the Topix traded 0.32% lower. The country’s household spending in December rose 2.7% year on year in real terms, sharply beat Reuters’ expectations of a 0.2% rise.South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.26%, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.3%.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 20,907, slightly higher than the HSI’s last close of 20,891.62.The Reserve Bank of India is likely to trim the benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%, as it concludes its policy meeting later in the day.Overnight in the U.S., the three major averages closed higher. The S&P 500 climbed for a third straight session on Thursday as investors weighed the latest batch of corporate earnings.The broad market index added 0.36% to 6,083.57, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.51% to 19,791.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, lost 125.65 points, or 0.28%, and closed at 44,747.63.Wall Street is now awaiting January’s jobs report, which is scheduled for release on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones are forecasting nonfarm payrolls growth of 169,000 for the month, less than the 256,000 jobs added in December.—CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.36 Min AgoJapan’s household spending massively beats expectations, boosting case for further BOJ hikesJapan’s household spending in December rose 2.7% year on year in real terms, according to a Friday report from the Statistics Bureau of Japan, massively beating expectations from economists polled by Reuters and marking its first rise since July 2024.The figure sharply beat Reuters expectations of a 0.2% rise, boosting the case for another interest rate hike from the Bank of Japan.The data comes after the BOJ in January raised its benchmark policy rate to 0.5%, its highest since 2008. The BOJ has long stated that it would raise rates if it sees a “virtuous cycle” of higher prices and growing wages.Read the full story here.—Lim Hui Jie3 Hours AgoS&P 500, Nasdaq close higherThe S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite finished Thursday’s session in positive territory.The broad market index gained 0.36% to close at 6,083.57, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 0.51% to finish at 19,791.99. Meanwhile, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 125.65 points, or 0.28%, to settle at 44,747.63.— Sean Conlon4 Hours AgoUBS sees gold prices climbing to new all-time highs going forwardTariff concerns have already sent gold prices to fresh all-time highs this week, but UBS believes the precious metal could advance even higher in valuation.In a Friday note, UBS raised its gold forecasts to $3,000 per ounce over the next 12 months. Spot gold was last trading $2,849.89 per ounce after hitting an all-time high of $2,882.16 on Wednesday.”Our base case remains that significant tariffs against Canada and Mexico are unlikely to be sustained for a prolonged period, and that the ratcheting up of the U.S.’s effective tariff rate on China to 30% will be gradual,” UBS wrote. “But, we also believe gold will continue to be supported throughout the year by elevated uncertainty, an extension of the global rate-cutting cycle, and strong investor and central bank demand.””Direct exposure to the metal may dampen risk in portfolios,” the bank added. “Equities linked to gold (such as gold miners) may offer greater capital gains potential but are likely to be more volatile and act like equities in times of risk aversion. We believe gold and the means to invest in it (directly or indirectly) should form part of a well-diversified portfolio,” the note said.— Lisa Kailai Han
原文链接：https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/07/asia-markets-live-reserve-bank-of-india-decision-us-jobs-report.html