Asian stock markets are trading mostly higher on Thursday, following the broadly positive cues from global markets overnight, as traders reacted to weak US PMI data that raised hopes the US Fed would end its tightening campaign to avert a recession. They also remain largely cautious, awaiting US Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium this week for more clues about the economy and interest-rate outlook. Asian Markets closed mixed on Wednesday.
The Australian stock market is modestly higher on Thursday, extending the gains in the previous two sessions, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 staying above the 7,100 level, following the broadly positive cues from global markets overnight, with gains across most sectors, led by technology stocks and gold miners.
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Market Analysis
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.