Equities

Asian stock markets closed mixed following positive Chinese developer headlines including news of Evergrande payments.

The ASX 200 (-0.6%) declined due to declines in the technology and energy sectors, following the fall on Wall Street yesterday.

The Nikkei 225 (+0.6%) followed the rise in USD/JPY above the 114.00 level and following the publication of the earnings report which was the catalyst for individual share prices.

Hang Seng (-0.1%) while Shanghai Composite (+0.9%) with significant strength in the real estate sector after Evergrande reportedly paid outstanding interest on three bonds to avoid default and with China said to be considering moderating property restrictions to help developers who having trouble unloading assets.

Commodities

Crude oil prices fell below $ 81 a barrel on Thursday after falling more than 3% in the US session yesterday as US inflation figures soared sharply due to rising energy costs, sparking market speculation about a more aggressive US response to curbing oil prices.

Gold prices traded around the $ 1,850 level after hitting $ 1,868 in the previous session following a sharp rise in US inflation sparking concern among investors.

Forex

The US dollar traded below the 95.00 level after the United States published higher inflation figures yesterday. The US annual inflation rate jumped to 6.2% in October from 5.4% in the previous month and compared to market expectations of 5.8%.

AUD & NZD declined on Thursday amid a strengthening in the US dollar as well as falling commodity prices.

Moreover, the AUD was also depressed after the Australian unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in October from 4.6% in the previous month and exceeded market expectations of 4.8%.

Investors’ concerns about the US inflation surge yesterday caused investors to turn to safe-haven assets such as gold, USD, JPY, and CHF.