Futures markets be damned: Asia-Pacific equities followed US stocks higher at the start of trading, despite earlier signs that Aussie dollar and yen strength would weigh on shares, FTAdviser sister publication FastFT reports.
Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200: +0.6 per cent
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225: +0.2 per cent
South Korea’s Kospi: +0.4 per cent
If the Aussie market’s early jump is maintained, Thursday’s (19 June) session would the best in a month.
Early gainers include miner BHP Billiton, whose shares rose 2.6 per cent after the price of iron ore recovered a bit overnight to above $90 (£52.9) per metric tonne.
For the Nikkei, this would be the third straight gain. The average is now on track for a fifth consecutive weekly gain.
The gains follow a stellar session in the US, where the S&P 500 jumped 0.8 per cent after the Federal Reserve said “economic activity has rebounded in recent months”.
