The MSCI Asia-Pacific index (excluding Japan) rose 0.2%, fluctuating just below its all-time high set on January 13. Earlier, US stocks ended lower, with financial stocks declining after JPMorgan executives made comments that heightened concerns about President Donald Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates.
In Japan, the stock market opened sharply higher. The Nikkei index surpassed 54,000 points for the first time, amid speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might dissolve the Lower House next week to hold a general election. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the Nikkei 225 index rose 501.22 points, or 0.94%, to 54,050.38 points.
The Japanese yen fell to its lowest level since July 2024, trading at 159.415 yen per US dollar earlier in the session, raising concerns about potential government intervention. Masahiko Loo, senior bond strategist at State Street Investment Management, suggested the market volatility reflects expectations of fiscal easing, albeit potentially inflated by political constraints. He also warned that if the yen falls sharply, exceeding 161 yen per US dollar, intervention to curb excessive volatility could return.
In South Korea, stocks opened slightly higher, driven by gains in semiconductor and biotechnology stocks. The KOSPI index rose 0.1% to 4,697.51 points early in the session, after briefly surpassing 4,700 points. According to industry data released on January 14th, South Korea's stock market capitalization has increased by nearly 80% in just one year, driven by strong growth in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares amid booming global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
Chinese markets showed mixed performance. At the opening, the Shanghai Composite Index remained unchanged at 4,138.65 points, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.46%, or 123.5 points, to 26,971.97 points.
In the US, data released on January 13th showed that core inflationary pressure in December 2025 was moderate. Economists believe this indicates that the impact of import tariffs on prices is gradually diminishing, thus leaving open the possibility of the Federal Reserve (Fed) cutting interest rates this year, although the general forecast is that the Fed will keep interest rates unchanged at this month's meeting.
The USD Index, which measures the strength of the greenback against a basket of major currencies, edged higher to 99.243 after gaining 0.2% in the previous session. Earlier in the week, the USD was under downward pressure as investors worried about the independence of the Fed, after the US Justice Department threatened to prosecute Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in connection with a headquarters renovation project.
In the Vietnamese market, at 10:15 AM on January 14th, the VN-Index decreased by 4.11 points (0.25%) to 1,899.97 points. The HNX-Index increased by 0.15 points (0.06%) to 252.99 points.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thi-truong-tien-te/chung-khoan-chau-a-tang-diem-20260114112117823.htm
