Asian stocks were near a decade high on Thursday, riding the bull run in global equity markets, while the dollar sagged after the Federal Reserve showed a guarded view towards inflation.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose to its highest since December 2007 and was last up 0.2 percent.
Japan's Nikkei was up 0.5 percent after brushing 20,980.92, its highest since December 1996. South Korea's KOSPI added 0.2 percent to mark a fresh record peak and Hong Kong's Hang Seng scaled a decade-high before dipping 0.05 percent.
Asia took cues from Wall Street, where major indexes rose to yet another set of record closing highs overnight following a report that a market-friendly candidate was being pushed as successor to Janet Yellen at the helm of the Fed. [.N]
Broader investor risk sentiment has improved this week after Catalonia dialed back plans to break away from Spain, with MSCI's 47-country world stocks index reaching a record high.
Global equities now appear to be taking geopolitical developments such as the secessionist push in Spain and tensions on the Korean peninsula in their stride, to reach those record tops.
"Fundamentally, the global economy is in decent shape. Corporate sentiment is also sound as evidenced by strong data like the Chinese PMI, U.S. ISM and Japanese tankan. All these factors are leading to the rise in global stocks," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management in Tokyo.
"Financial markets will remain wary of geopolitical headlines. But barring actual military conflicts, negative responses by equities are expected to be short-lived."
The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies slipped to a two-week low of 92.839 following the release of the minutes from the Fed's last policy meeting on Sept. 19-20.
Fed policymakers had a prolonged debate about the prospects of a pickup in inflation and the path of future interest rate rises if it did not, the minutes showed.
While this did little to cool expectations for the Fed to raise interest rates in December, it did make the central bank appear slightly less hawkish than it appeared right after the September policy meeting when it signaled the year-end monetary tightening.
The dollar was particularly weak against the euro as relief over Catalonia stopping short of a formal declaration of independence supported the common currency.
The euro was 0.1 percent higher at $1.1869, its highest since Sept. 25 and on track for a fifth straight day of gains.
The dollar was little changed at 112.410 yen, having bounced back from a two-week trough below 112.000 plumbed earlier this week.
The U.S. currency was seen to have found support after a media survey showed that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling party could come close to keeping its two-thirds "super" majority in an Oct. 22 lower house election.
Such an electoral outcome would suggest a continuation of Abe's reflationary economic policies, said Heng Koon How, head of markets strategy for United Overseas Bank in Singapore.
"It means that the Bank of Japan's quantitative easing will continue, that will keep the yen on balance weak and so it supports dollar/yen," Heng said.
The Mexican peso stood firm at 18.686 pesos per dollar. It had gained 0.7 percent overnight to pull away from a five-month low of 18.852, although the currency was seen coming under renewed pressure if the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks run aground.
The United States, Mexico and Canada have negotiated this week to reform NAFTA. There are concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump could opt to withdraw from the pact if his demands for more favorable treatment are not met.
In the mean time the Canadian dollar gained against the broadly weaker dollar. It extended overnight gains to reach C$1.2443 per dollar, its strongest in two weeks.
In commodities, oil prices eased as U.S. fuel inventories rose despite efforts by OPEC to cut production and tighten the market.
Brent crude futures were down 0.6 percent at $56.59 per barrel. The contracts had risen for the third day on Wednesday as OPEC's forecast for higher demand in 2018 and heightened tensions in Kurdistan supported prices.
Spot gold was last up 0.1 percent at $1,292.72 an ounce, supported by a weaker dollar.
Reuters
Thu Oct 12 2017
People walk past an electronic stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, September 22, 2017. REUTERS / File
AWANI Ringkas: Sambutan dibatalkan, digantikan dengan doa selamat
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Laman sosial 503 Squadron dihujani doa, ucapan takziah
Satu daripada empat gambar yang dimuat naik itu memaparkan lima anggota TLDM melambai rakan mereka yang berlepas ke Lumut.
KPDN gesa syarikat kenderaan pengangkutan barangan segera kad fleet
KPDN menggesa syarikat kenderaan pengangkutan barangan di Semenanjung Malaysia yang terpilih untuk segera memohon kad fleet.
Pasaran getah Malaysia ditutup rendah
Pada 5 petang, harga rujukan MRB bagi SMR 20 fizikal berada pada 762 sen sekilogram manakala susu getah pukal pada 717 sen sekilogram.
Kemasukan ke hospital kerana hisap 'vape', termasuk golongan kanak-kanak meningkat 733 peratus dalam 4 tahun
Kemasukan kanak-kanak kerana penyakit berkaitan mengevap merupakan enam peratus daripada jumlah kemasukan keseluruhan dalam tahun 2020.
Nahas helikopter: KPWKM sedia beri bantuan sokongan psikologi kepada keluarga mangsa
KPWKM bersedia memberikan bantuan sokongan psikologi kepada keluarga mangsa yang terkorban dalam tragedi dua helikopter Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) terhempas di Lumut, Perak pagi ini.
Bursa Malaysia ditutup tinggi
Pada 5 petang, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) meningkat 2.05 mata kepada 1,561.64 daripada 1,559.59 pada Isnin.
Ringgit ditutup rendah sedikit berbanding dolar AS
Pada 6 petang, ringgit susut kepada 4.7785/7820 berbanding dolar AS daripada paras penutup 4.7750/7785 pada Isnin.
Forum Umrah dan Ziarah 2024 kini bermula
Setiap tahun, jutaan umat Islam mengembara ke Mekah dan Madinah untuk mengerjakan umrah.
Bagi mencari penyelesaian yang bermakna buat jemaah, Forum Umrah & Ziarah 2024 menjadi medan penting dalam mengumpulkan semua pemain industri serta pakar berkaitan pendekatan yang lebih baik untuk pengalaman umrah yang bermakna.
#UmrahZiarah2024
Bagi mencari penyelesaian yang bermakna buat jemaah, Forum Umrah & Ziarah 2024 menjadi medan penting dalam mengumpulkan semua pemain industri serta pakar berkaitan pendekatan yang lebih baik untuk pengalaman umrah yang bermakna.
#UmrahZiarah2024
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Proses bedah siasat dijangka selesai esok
Pihak hospital telah menerima sepuluh jenazah anggota TLDM bagi prosedur bedah siasat sekitar jam 6 petang.
Serangan dron Iran tidak akan berlaku sekiranya Israel berhenti seksa rakyat Palestin - Pakar
Serangan dron oleh Iran ke atas Israel tidak akan berlaku sekiranya rejim Zionis itu menghentikan kedegilan dan kerakusan membunuh dan menyerang rakyat Palestin.
MITEC dinobat sebagai Pusat Konvensyen Terbaik Asia, Malaysia 2023 oleh World MICE Awards
Venue pertama dibina khas di Malaysia untuk mesyuarat, persidangan, pameran dan acara gaya hidup yang merangkul anugerah berprestij itu.
Bursa Malaysia lepasi paras 1,500 selepas setahun
FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) telah melepasi paras 1,500 mata.
Lebih 1,700 individu ditahan dalam operasi senjata Interpol di Asia
Lebih 1,700 suspek ditahan di 10 negara Asia dalam operasi besar-besaran terhadap penyeludupan senjata api haram, kata Interpol.
Pasaran saham global dijangka melonjak tahun depan - Goldman Sachs
Unjuran itu termasuk jangkaan pulangan harga lapan peratus dan jumlah pulangan kepada 10 peratus untuk saham global pada tahun depan.
Australia mahu layak awal ke Piala Dunia 2026
Australia terpaksa memenangi playoff menentang Emiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE) untuk ke Qatar tahun lalu selepas terlepas kelayakan langsung.
Sukan skuasy dipertandingkan di Olimpik 2028
Skuasy bakal dipertandingkan di pentas Sukan Olimpik 2028 (LA28) selepas mendapat kelulusan Lembaga Eksekutif Jawatankuasa Olimpik Antarabangsa (IOC) dalam satu mesyuarat yang berlangsung di Mumbai.
Peruntukan RM30 juta bukti kerajaan mahu Malaysia jadi hab e-sukan diiktiraf
Ketua Yoodo Chow Tuck Mun berkata e-sukan dilihat semakin berkembang, malah terdapat banyak bakat tempatan dan pemain yang berjaya mencipta nama dalam sukan itu.
Malaysia antara peminum kopi terbanyak di Asia Pasifik
Rakyat Malaysia secara purata meminum 107 cawan kopi pada tahun 2021 berbanding hanya 52 cawan pada empat tahun sebelumnya.
Keberkesanan servis boleh jadi kunci rampas emas Thailand
Senjata yang diperlukan skuad negara untuk mengatasi Thailand adalah menerusi servis konsisten yang menghasilkan mata atau sekurang-kurangnya menyukarkan pemain lawan.