Lola Evans
03 Dec 2021, 16:44 GMT+10
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were mostly higher on Friday as investors and traders took emerging news about the spread of the Covid variant Omicron on the chin.
"The Fed is not ignoring the threat from Omicron, but are choosing not to let it delay policy responses that suggest a more business as usual outlook," Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategist Tobin Gorey told Reuters Friday.
"OPEC+ has done a similar thing," he added. "Neither has iced their planned policy changes...and both are perhaps examples that suggest lockdown responses to epidemic surges are becoming less likely."
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was in demand, rising 276.20 points or 1.00 percent to close Friday at 28,029.57.
The Australian All Ordinaries advanced 7.50 points or 0.10 percent to 7,543.60.
China's Shanghai Composite finished up 33.60 points or 0.54 percent at 3,607.43.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was the party pooper, losing 22.24 points or 0.09 percent, to close Friday at 23,766.69.
The foreign exchange market was quiet with the U.S. dollar continuing to hold the upper hand. The euro dipped to 1.1297 around the Sydney close Friday. The British pound slipped to 1.3296. The Japanese yen slid to 113.23. The Swiss franc was little changed at 0.9206.
The Canadian dollar was unmoved at 1.2806. The Australian dollar hit a new 1-year low, ending in Sydney around 0.7081. The New Zealand dollar softened to 0.6801.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded 617.75 points or 1.82 percent to close Thursday at 34,639.79.
The Standard and Poor's 500 jumped 64.06 points or 1.42 percent to 4,577.10.
The technology-laden Nasdaq Composite added 127.27 points or 0.83 percent to 15,381.32.
Get a daily dose of Russia Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Russia Herald.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed mixed on Monday as investors fret about CPI data due to be ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Amazon announced this week that it had purchased robotic vacuum maker iRobot for approximately $1.7 ...
RICHMOND, Virginia: Dominion Energy Virginia has received state approval to build an enormous offshore wind farm off the coast of ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were mixed on Monday, but gains and losses were modest.There is concern the ...
CANBERRA, Australia: Australia's new government has announced plans to ban the development of a coal mine located near the Great ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. Transportation Department said it could require airlines to offer passengers a refund if their flight schedules ...
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - According to a leaked internal document obtained by the press, companies awarded government contracts are being investigated ...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland is set to receive one of three ships that have sailed from Ukraine filled with grain. The ...
LONDON, England: In 2023, America's Major League Baseball is set to return to London for the first time since 2019, ...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Due to the hot, dry summer affecting most of Europe, the Dutch government has declared a national water ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: A new government-funded study has found that a simple exercise routine might help older Americans with mild memory ...
HAMBURG, Germany: Wind turbine-maker Siemens Gamesa is considering cutting some 2,500 jobs, or about 9 percent of its total workforce.The ...