TOKYO / NEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, following the rise of major Wall Street indices to record highs as investors examined key central bank meetings this week, starting with the United States Federal Reserve.
An index of the region’s equity markets, excluding Japan, strengthened 0.7%, driven by a jump of 1.2% in Australia’s S & P / ASX 200 benchmark.
The Japanese Nikkei 225 gained 0.6% to below 30,000 followers, while the broader Topix added 0.5%.
China’s blue chip CSI 300 index rose 0.7% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.7%.
On Monday, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared with gains from travel stocks as mass vaccinations in the United States and congressional approval of a 1-year aid project $ 9 trillion fueled investor optimism.
The S&P 500 E-mini futures rose 0.06%.
Investors are focusing on the Fed’s two-day policy meeting, which will conclude on Wednesday, as this year bond yields have risen on investors betting that central banks will have to raise rates earlier than previously indicated. which contained inflation. Fed officials are expected to predict that the U.S. economy will grow in 2021 at a faster pace in decades.
The Bank of England also meets this week on Thursday, while the Bank of Japan concludes a two-day meeting on Friday.
“Markets are likely to have a pattern of participation before this … heavy week loaded by the central bank,” analysts at TD Securities write.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 174.82 points, or 0.53%, to 32,953.46, the S&P 500 gained 25.6 points, or 0.65%, to 3,968.94, and the Nasdaq Composite added 139.84 points, or 1.05%, to 13,459.71.
Airline stocks rose as airlines signaled concrete signs of an industry recovery, as the deployment of vaccines helps stimulate leisure reserves.
Germany, France and Italy paused in the firing of AstraZeneca COVID-19 after several countries reported possible serious side effects.
The development will be seen in Australia, where the vaccine is also administered.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was flat on Monday, after hitting its highest level since February 2020.
U.S. Treasury long-term yields fell even further on Tuesday as the market awaited the Fed meeting and the latest public debt auctions.
The 10-year benchmark return, which peaked at a one-year high of 1.642% last week, returned to 1.595%
Rising inflation expectations could prompt the Federal Open Market Committee to indicate that rates will begin to rise earlier than expected.
In foreign exchange, the US dollar maintained small gains over the night in silenced price shares ahead of central bank meetings.
The greenback was largely flat with 109,165 yen, after rising to 109,365 on Monday for the first time since June.
The euro changed little, to $ 1.19320, and was stopped for an eighth session below the $ 1.20 level, heavily monitored.
Bitcoin continued its slide from a record high of $ 61,781.83 on Saturday, trading 3% weaker on the day at about $ 53,915.
West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil changed hands at $ 64.79 a barrel, down 60 cents. The future of Brent crude in May stood at $ 68.21 a barrel and lost 67 cents.
Reports by Kevin Buckland and Elizabeth Dilts Marshall; Edited by Cynthia Osterman and Jacqueline Wong