SINGAPORE — Stocks in Japan were set to trade higher at the open as investors look to the interest rate decision set to be announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 23,445 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 23,410. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 23,312.14.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia slipped in early trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 declining 0.14%. Australia’s trade data for August is set to be released at around 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN on Tuesday.
Markets in China are closed on Tuesday for a holiday.
Investor focus will likely be on U.S. President Donald Trump‘s health, as he left the hospital to return to the White House, where he will continue being treated for the coronavirus following his positive diagnosis last week.
The U.S. president said prior to his departure that he planned to be promptly be back on the campaign trail, with less than a month to the upcoming presidential election in November.
Trump’s doctors said Monday the president’s condition has “continued to improve” over the past 24 hours, though White House physician Dr. Sean Conley warned that “he may not be entirely out of the woods yet.”
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.513 following an earlier declined from levels above 93.6.
The Japanese yen changed hands at 105.73 per dollar after weakening from levels below 105.6 yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7192, off levels around $0.72 seen last week.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Australia: August trade data at 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN, Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate decision at 11:30 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC