Asian stocks close higher, following gains on Wall Street

Asian stocks closed higher on Wednesday (23), following the positive tone of Wall Street, although investors remain worried about the perspective of monetary policy in the US, inflationary pressures and the war in Ukraine.

Leading gains in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index jumped 3% in Tokyo today to 28,040.16 points, a two-month high as the yen held its lowest levels against the dollar in more than six years.

The Hang Seng rose 1.21% in Hong Kong, at 22,154.08 points, while the South Korean Kospi advanced 0.92% in Seoul, at 2,735.05 points, and the Taiex registered a rise of 0.98% in Taiwan, at 17,731.37 points.

In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.34% to 3,271.03 points and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite rose 0.54% to 2,163.20 points, helped by real estate and telecom stocks.

Risk appetite in Asia came after New York stock markets closed yesterday with significant gains, thanks to stocks in the banking sector, which benefits from the prospect of tightening US currency, and technology.

In recent days, Federal Reserve officials (Fed, the US central bank) have signaled that US interest rates may rise at a faster pace to combat high inflation, which has persisted for longer than expected.

In addition to US interest rates and inflation, the developments of the Russian-Ukrainian war remain on the radar. The conflict in Eastern Europe has boosted oil prices in recent weeks, intensifying inflationary pressures.

In Oceania, the Australian stock market followed Asia and Wall Street, and the S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.50% in Sydney, at 7,377.90 points.

Source: CNN Brasil

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