Asian equity markets started Wednesday trade with gains following record highs on Wall Street overnight. Wall Street started the second half of the year with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 briefly rising to all-time highs following upbeat economic data. Markits gauge of U.S. manufacturing activity in June hit a four-year high while auto sales raced to their highest level in more than eight years last month. Nikkei 0.5% higher. Japanese shares extended gains, building on Tuesdays 1 percent rally with the Nikkei rising to five-month high. Sentiment got a boost after May wage data showed salaries rose for the first time in more than two years, up 0.2 percent in a sign that Prime Minister Abes stimulus policies are gaining traction. Kospi up 0.2%. South Korean stocks opened above the key 2,000 level, tracking Asia-wide gains. Among blue-chips, LG Electronics tacked on 0.7 percent while Kia Motors sank 1 percent. CNBC N225 15420.81 (+94.61) KS200 261.65 (+1.91) (Prices on Reuters at 0112GMT)
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 01:12:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015