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Shares were moderately higher in Asia on Wednesday after US stocks drifted to a mixed finish following a discouraging report on how much money US retailers made during the holidays. US futures edged higher and prices of gold, silver and oil also advanced. Markets were closed in Japan for a holiday. Chinese markets crept higher, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong up 0.3% at 27,265.52. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.3% to 4,139.56. In South Korea, the Kospi extended its gains, risig to 5,346.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.5% to 8,999.20, while Taiwan's Taiex jumped 1.7%. On Tuesday, stocks drifted on Wall Street following a mixed set of profit reports from big US companies. Hopes rose that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year to boost the economy following a discouraging report on US shoppers' appetite for spending. "Fresh data points to softening US consumer momentum since last December as wage growth cools and household credit stress builds," ...
US futures and Asian shares skidded Monday, and oil prices fell more than USD 2 a barrel. In South Korea, the Kospi tumbled 4.6 per cent to 4,982.54 as worries revived over a potential bubble in the craze for artificial intelligence. Samsung Electronics gave up 3.5 per cent, while chip maker SK Hynix sank 5.6 per cent. The Kospi has been forging records for weeks as major tech companies piggybacked on the AI craze with deals with major players like chip maker Nvidia. In other dealings, the price of gold fell 1 per cent, while silver gained more than 2 per cent after both plunged on Friday, marking a halt to record runs in precious metals markets. Markets appeared jittery as investors studied what President Donald Trump's new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, will mean for interest rates. The future for the S&P 500 sank 0.9 per cent while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5 per cent. US benchmark crude lost USD 2.80 to USD 62.41 per barrel. Speaking .
Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday after US stock indexes ticked upward, buoyed by strong profit reports for some companies. The price of gold slipped back from its record, edging 0.2 per cent lower to USD 5,071.70. Silver lost 5.1 per cent to USD 109.66 per ounce. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 per cent to 53,188.39. The Kospi in South Korea surged 1.9 per cent to 5,042.32 even after US President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on South Korean goods because the country's national assembly has yet to approve a trade framework announced last year. Trump said on social media Monday that import taxes would be raised on autos, lumber and pharmaceutical drugs from South Korea with the rate on other goods going from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Gains for tech-related shares like Samsung Electronics, which rose 2.9 per cent, helped offset losses for automakers like Kia Corp., which fell 2 per cent. Chinese markets were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.1 per cent t