SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific were higher on Thursday morning as investors continue to wait for the result of the U.S. election.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced 0.99% while the Topix index traded 0.45% higher. Over in South Korea, the Kospi also gained 1.54%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.95%. Australia’s exports of goods and services rose 4% month-on-month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released Thursday by the country’s Bureau of Statistics.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.51% higher.
Investor focus likely remained on the U.S. election, though a call in the presidential race is not expected anytime soon as several states could take until later this week to complete official tallies, according to officials.
Overnight on Wall Street, stocks stateside rose despite the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. presidential contest. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 367.63 points to close at 27,847.66. The S&P 500 ended its trading day 2.2% higher at 3,443.44 while the Nasdaq Composite surged 3.9% to close at 11,590.78.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was last at 93.407 after its earlier drop from levels above 93.6.
The Japanese yen traded at 104.32 per dollar after strengthening yesterday from levels above 104.8 against the greenback. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7179 following yesterday’s rise from levels below $0.712.
Source: CNBC