Asian stock benchmarks declined on Thursday as investors processed the cautious stance of major central banks towards monetary easing amidst persistent inflation concerns. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan fell by 0.57%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was notably down by 0.8%, partly influenced by lower commodity prices.
Geopolitical tensions, including military exercises by China near Taiwan, added to market unease. However, Taiwan's stock market showed resilience, gaining 0.3%.
In contrast, U.S. futures rose following Nvidia's optimistic revenue forecast, boosting S&P 500 futures by 0.3% and Nasdaq futures by 0.57% during Asian trading.
Japan's Nikkei climbed 0.6%, supported by a weaker yen. Meanwhile, currencies like the British pound and New Zealand dollar held near recent highs against the dollar.
Other Asian markets saw varied performances: Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index retreated 1.5% from recent highs, while China's blue-chip index edged down 0.3%.
Commodity markets also saw declines, with gold slipping 0.25% and oil prices falling with Brent crude down 0.82% and U.S. crude 0.9% lower.
Overall, the global financial landscape remains cautious amid uncertainty over future central bank actions and geopolitical tensions in Asia.
Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.
