Earnings in Asia after Nasdaq jump on Wall Street

Asian stocks are moving higher on Friday, drawing impetus from the impressive counterattack of buyers yesterday on Wall Street that led the Nasdaq technology index to return from a 3.5% dip to close with gains of 3.3%.

World markets continue to watch Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces are gathering around Kiev for the final attack on the Ukrainian capital, while Russian President Putin has demanded the surrender of Ukraine.

The Japanese government today announced new sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of assets of Russian groups, banks and individuals, and the suspension of exports of semiconductors and other sensitive goods.

Japan has already suspended the issuance of new Russian bonds in its markets in order to reduce Moscow’s ability to raise foreign funding.

On the board, the Japanese Nikkei index recorded strong gains of 1.95% at 26,476.50 points.

In Hong Kong the Hang Seng index fell 0.75%, while in mainland China the Shanghai Composite gained 0.6%.

South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.1%, while in Australia the S & P / ASX 200 gained 0.10%. Indicators in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia are also strengthening.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 closed 1.5% higher at overnight, losing 2.6%, while the industrial Dow Jones returned from a dip of 859 points to close with small gains of 0.3%.

Investors estimate that geopolitical tensions could lead the US Federal Reserve to more modest interest rate hikes in the coming months. In the past, the Fed has sometimes delayed major decisions amid growing uncertainty over geopolitical developments, such as the Kosovo war and the US invasion of Iraq, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. Bank analysts, however, continue to expect the bank to raise interest rates at its next meetings.