United News of Bangladesh

Asian shares were mixed Friday after Wall Street suffered losses, as a US Treasury Department plan to increase purchases of government debt offered only limited relief to financial markets. US stock futures edged higher in early trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.2% to 66,080.25, while South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.9% to 6,914.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.7% to 25,888.36, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,903.81. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.3% to 9,053.90. Taiwan’s Taiex gained 0.4%, while India’s Sensex slipped 0.1%. The Treasury Department said Wednesday it would at least double planned purchases of longer-term government bonds. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the buyback programme could be expanded further. The announcement briefly pushed bond yields lower. Yields had risen amid concerns over high inflation, partly linked to the war in Iran, and growing US government debt. Higher yields can increase borrowing costs and put pressure on economic growth and stock prices. However, analysts said the impact was likely to be short-lived. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note stood at around 4.71% early Friday, up from nearly 4.64% Thursday and back near its level before the Treasury announcement. The 30-year Treasury yield also rose to about 5.26%, from 5.18% Thursday. Bond yields in Asia also moved higher. Japan’s 10-year government bond yield rose to 2.88% from around 2.83% Thursday, after recently reaching levels not seen in about 30 years. Rising bond yields have put pressure on stocks. On Thursday, the S&P 500 fell 0.9%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1%. Oil prices edged lower early Friday despite increased US economic pressure on Iran and limited progress in reducing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.2% to $93.64 a barrel. It was trading at around $72 before the war began. US benchmark crude fell 0.3% to $86.59 a barrel. The US dollar slipped to 159.01 Japanese yen from 159.05 yen. The euro rose to $1.1694 from $1.1678.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced on Tuesday, led by strong gains in Japan as investor confidence improved following a landmark election victory. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.6 percent to 57,821.58, setting a new record. The index extended its rally from Monday, when it surged after the ruling party’s landslide win in parliamentary elections cleared the way for Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female prime minister. Investors are betting that the new leadership will push ahead with economic reforms that could support growth and corporate earnings. Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 8,893.60, while South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.6 percent to 5,327.80. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.0 percent to 27,300.00, and China’s Shanghai Composite added 0.2 percent to 4,130.20. On Wall Street, US stocks closed higher, coming off their strongest session since May, although concerns remain that equity valuations have become stretched after the recent rally. The S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent to 6,964.82, edging closer to its all-time high. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.9 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed. Investors continue to watch whether massive spending on artificial-intelligence technology by major companies will deliver sufficient returns. Still, optimism around the sector lifted chipmakers, with shares of Nvidia and Broadcom posting solid gains. January export earnings dip slightly amid mixed global trends In the bond market, US Treasury yields were largely steady ahead of key economic data later this week, including reports on employment and inflation. The data could shape expectations for future interest-rate moves by the US Federal Reserve. Gold prices rose 2 percent to $5,079.40 per ounce amid continued volatility, while silver posted a sharp jump. Bitcoin hovered just below $71,000 after recent swings. Oil prices were little changed in early Asian trading, and the US dollar edged slightly lower against the Japanese yen, while the euro also weakened modestly against the dollar.