Australia stocks higher at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 up 0.24%

Investing.com – Australia stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the A-REITs, Healthcare and Energy sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.24%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 were EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML), which rose 12.86% or 0.09 points to trade at 0.79 at the close. Meanwhile, Cromwell Property Group (ASX:CMW) added 5.26% or 0.02 points to end at 0.40 and Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1) was up 3.91% or 0.29 points to 7.71 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), which fell 34.43% or 0.11 points to trade at 0.20 at the close. Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) declined 4.37% or 0.10 points to end at 2.19 and Charter Hall Retail Reit (ASX:CQR) was down 2.77% or 0.09 points to 3.16.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 496 to 406 and 355 ended unchanged.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was down 4.52% to 11.23.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.17% or 4.35 to $2,632.55 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 0.42% or 0.29 to hit $69.53 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.44% or 0.32 to trade at $72.64 a barrel.

AUD/USD was unchanged 0.14% to 0.62, while AUD/JPY fell 0.33% to 97.84.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.09% at 107.90.

Investing.com-- Most Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, supported by gains in technology stocks as they tracked their U.S. peers, although trading volumes were slim before the Christmas break.

Regional markets took positive cues from Wall Street, which closed higher on Monday as technology stocks recouped some of their steep losses from last week. U.S. stock index futures were flat in Asian trade.

Wall Street will have a shortened trading session on Tuesday, as will most Asian markets.

Asian markets were nursing losses in recent sessions after the Federal Reserve flagged a slower pace of interest rate cuts in 2025- a scenario that bodes poorly for risk-driven assets.

Japan shares muted; Honda rallies, Nissan flat amid merged talk

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell slightly on Tuesday, as did the TOPIX.

Focus was squarely on automakers Honda (NYSE:HMC) Motor Co Ltd (TYO:7267) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201), after they confirmed on Monday that they were in talks over a potential merger, which will be completed in 2026.

Honda’s shares rallied as much as 15%, also benefiting from the company announcing a 1.1 trillion yen ($7 billion) buyback.

Nissan (OTC:NSANY), on the other hand, traded flat after recouping a bulk of losses clocked earlier in the session. The stock had risen sharply on Monday after news of the merger first broke.

Mitsubishi Motors (OTC:MMTOF), in which Nissan holds a 34% stake- will also consider joining the merger. Its shares rose 3.6%.

The Honda-Nissan deal will create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales once completed. But analysts noted that a 2026 date for the deal was too cautious, especially given that the automakers were grappling with an extended decline in sales.

Chinese stocks upbeat on stimulus hopes

China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes rose around 0.7% each, while gains in tech stocks saw Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rally 1%.

Markets were holding out for more clarity on Beijing’s plans for stimulus measures in the coming year. Recent reports suggested that the country will ramp up fiscal spending to support economic growth.

Optimism over more stimulus helped Chinese stocks weather a recent downturn in Asian markets. Chinese purchasing managers index data is now due in the coming days and is set to offer more cues on Asia’s largest economy.

Broader Asian stocks were mostly higher in shortened holiday trading. Australia’s ASX 200 added 0.1% as the minutes of the Reserve Bank’s December meeting showed policymakers signaling an eventual decline in interest rates.

South Korea’s KOSPI fell 0.2%, as gains in tech stocks were offset by persistent concerns over political turmoil in the country.

Singapore’s Straits Times Index index rose 0.5%, while futures for India’s Nifty 50 index pointed to a weak open, as the index nursed steep losses over the past few weeks.

Investing.com – Australia stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Financials, Consumer Discretionary and A-REITs sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.67%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 were Appen Ltd (ASX:APX), which rose 6.51% or 0.14 points to trade at 2.29 at the close. Meanwhile, Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV) added 5.64% or 0.11 points to end at 2.06 and Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) was up 4.59% or 0.13 points to 2.96 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML), which fell 22.22% or 0.20 points to trade at 0.70 at the close. Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX:PBH) declined 3.90% or 0.04 points to end at 0.99 and Resmed Inc DRC (ASX:RMD) was down 0.84% or 0.31 points to 36.50.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 718 to 352 and 446 ended unchanged.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was up 0.46% to 11.76.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.06% or 1.70 to $2,643.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 0.50% or 0.35 to hit $69.81 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.45% or 0.33 to trade at $72.89 a barrel.

AUD/USD was unchanged 0.13% to 0.63, while AUD/JPY rose 0.37% to 98.03.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.12% at 107.49.

Investing.com-- Most Asian stocks rose on Monday, tracking gains in Wall Street after softer U.S. inflation data spurred bets that interest rates will still fall in the coming year.

Japanese stocks were among the better performers for the day, buoyed by speculation over a potential merger between Honda (NYSE:HMC) and Nissan (OTC:NSANY), as reports said a deal was close.

Regional markets took positive cues from Wall Street, which surged on Friday after PCE price index data- the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge- read softer than expected for November. The reading helped ease some concerns that U.S. rates will fall at a slower pace in 2025, especially after the Fed struck a hawkish tone during a meeting last week.

U.S. stock futures rose in Asian trade, also supported by optimism over the U.S. government avoiding a shutdown.

Japanese shares rise amid Honda-Nissan merger reports

Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indexes rose 0.9% and 0.5%, respectively.

Gains in Japanese markets came amid increased focus on Honda Motor Co Ltd (TYO:7267) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201), after a report from public broadcaster NHK said a preliminary agreement will be signed later on Monday, with the goal of finalizing merger terms by June 2025.

Honda rose nearly 2%, while Nissan fell slightly after rallying about 20% last week. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TYO:7211), which could also be pulled into the merger, rose 2.8%.

The merger has the potential to create the third-largest global automaker by sales, and is being considered as Honda and Nissan grapple with increased competition and softening sales, especially in top auto market China.

Beyond speculation over the merger, focus in Japanese markets was also on key inflation data for November released on Friday. The reading showed inflation picked up more than expected in November, keeping expectations of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan squarely in play.

Asia stocks rise with focus on US rates, China stimulus

Broader Asian markets advanced on Monday amid optimism over softer U.S. inflation, although most regional markets were still nursing losses from the prior week.

Australia’s ASX 200 rose 1.2%, with local shares of News Corp (ASX:NWS) (NASDAQ:NWSA) rising 2.2% after after the firm said it will sell television broadcaster Foxtel to British sports streamer DAZN Group in a A$3.4 billion ($2.1 billion) deal.

China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes rose 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 0.5%.

Chinese markets were sitting on some gains in recent sessions after Beijing offered up more assurances that it will ramp up fiscal spending in 2025 to support economic growth.

South Korea’s KOSPI added 1.5% and was the best performer in the region, as investors bought into heavily discounted stocks after local markets were walloped by heightened political uncertainty earlier this month.

Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 1.1%, with Talkmed Group Ltd (SGX:TALK) rallying nearly 6% after receiving an offer to be taken private.

Singapore Post Ltd (SGX:SPOS) slid 8% after it fired its CEO Phang Heng Wee over alleged misconduct.

Futures for India’s Nifty 50 index pointed to a slightly positive open, after the index fell sharply through the prior week.