Asian markets are mostly higher Thursday as investors shrug off the uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to veto the massive pandemic economic recovery bill.
The Nikkei index in Tokyo finished 0.5% higher. The S&P/ASX index in Sydney gained 0.3%. Hong Kong’s index, the Hang Seng, rose 0.1%. Seoul’s KOSPI index earned 1.7%, and the TSEC in Taipei earned 0.4%.
Shanghai’s Composite index dropped 0.5% after China’s market regulation agency announced it was launching an anti-monopoly investigation of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, co-founded by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. The probe signifies Beijing’s efforts to tighten control over the country’s technology sector.
In late afternoon trading, Mumbai’s Sensex is trading 0.8% higher.
In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,880.60 per ounce, up 0.1%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $48.18 per barrel, up 0.1%, and Brent crude is selling at $51.34 per barrel, up 0.2%.
All three major U.S. indices are trending higher in futures trading.
