Asian stocks rise, following gain in US equities

Synopsis

Benchmark indexes advanced in Japan, South Korea and Australia, while futures climbed in Hong Kong. The Nasdaq 100 outperformed Monday after its longest rout since January, with Tesla Inc. rising 5.6% on a news report Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities. Nvidia Corp., which reports results this week, fell.

Asian equities gained, following Wall Street stocks higher, after Treasuries halted a selloff that had pushed 10-year yields as high as 4.5%. Traders are closely watching any news around President-elect Donald Trump’s planned administration.

Benchmark indexes advanced in Japan, South Korea and Australia, while futures climbed in Hong Kong. The Nasdaq 100 outperformed Monday after its longest rout since January, with Tesla Inc. rising 5.6% on a news report Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities. Nvidia Corp., which reports results this week, fell.

Treasuries climbed across the US curve Monday, reversing earlier losses. Australia’s 10-year notes gained in early trading Tuesday.

“Traders appear to be gauging the potential impact of a new Trump administration’s policies on the economy, and the possibility that the Fed may slow down its rate-cutting campaign,” said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. “With a relatively light economic calendar this week, the focus will shift to earnings, especially Nvidia’s, which have the potential to dictate the market’s short-term momentum.”

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% on Monday, while the Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.7%. Treasury 10-year yields declined three basis points to 4.41%. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slid 0.4%. Bitcoin topped $91,000.

Investors in Asia will be gauging whether Monday’s rebound for equities in China and Hong Kong following last week’s selloff can be sustained. Traders are reassessing the outlook for further stimulus and the country’s guidance on boosting corporate valuation.

Wall Street brokerages including Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have turned more cautious on Chinese stocks as persistent deflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions cloud the outlook for earnings in the world’s second-largest equity market.

Oil edged lower after surging on Monday amid simmering geopolitical tensions. West Texas Intermediate rose 3.2% to settle above $69 a barrel after the US gave Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles inside of Russia, amping up tensions between the warring nations.

Gold rose by the most since August as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reiterated a forecast for prices to reach $3,000 an ounce next year.

In Washington, Trump’s transition team is considering pairing Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve official, in the Treasury secretary role, with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as director of the White House’s National Economic Council, according to people familiar with the matter.

Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a judge to force Alphabet Inc.’s Google to sell off its Chrome browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the biggest tech companies in the world. The department will ask the judge to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, according to people familiar with the plans.

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