Share

Asian shares up as Korean tensions ease

Bangkok - Asian stock markets rose on Tuesday as tensions on the Korean peninsula eased a few notches.

Investors spent the previous day worried about possible North Korean retaliation against South Korean military drills on a frontline island that was shelled by the North last month.

Instead, Pyongyang backed off threats to strike back and reportedly offered concessions on its nuclear program.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average climbed 1.5% to 10 370.53 after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged at the current super loose setting after a key survey last week showed deteriorating business sentiment.

Japanese exporters climbed, with Sony up 2.7% and Canon adding 1.6%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 1.4% to 22 966.08. South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.8% to 2 037.09 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.8% at 4 771.90.

China's Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.8% to 2 904.30. Markets in Taiwan, India, and Singapore also rose.

In New York on Monday, low trading volumes and a lack of economic reports kept stocks confined to a narrow range on Monday. Indexes finished mixed and bond yields were barely changed.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 13.78, to 11 478.13. The broader Standard and Poor's 500-stock index rose 3.17, to 1 247.08. The Nasdaq composite index gained 6.59, to finish at 2 649.56.

In currencies, the dollar slipped to ¥83.70 from ¥83.78 late on Monday. The euro rose to $1.3196 from $1.3126.

Benchmark oil for February delivery gained 12c to $89.49 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 77c to settle at $89.37 on Monday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.09
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.61
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
+0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.6%
Platinum
901.37
-0.1%
Palladium
1,000.53
-0.6%
Gold
2,152.85
-0.4%
Silver
24.92
-0.5%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,894
-0.5%
All Share
72,109
-0.4%
Resource 10
53,286
-0.1%
Industrial 25
99,471
-1.0%
Financial 15
16,619
-0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders