The main Asian indices show a slight increase in today's trading. Today is a day off on the Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges again, and the exchange in Hong Kong is also not working. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index added 0.21%, the Australian S&P/ASX 200 - 0.04%, while the KOSPI exchange index in South Korea showed a slight decrease (by 0.01%).
The main Asia-Pacific indices follow the US stock indices, which showed an increase on the eve due to an increase in demand for securities of technology companies.
The stock quotes of one of the largest companies included in the calculation of the S&P 500 indicator (Twitter) immediately rose by 27% against the background of a message from Tesla CEO Elon Musk about owning a 9.2% stake in the company's securities. This caused an increase not only in the value of the company's shares but also in the S&P 500 index.
Another factor affecting Asian indicators was the weakening of the yen. This supports the market, as it helps to increase the profits of companies engaged in exports.
Among the companies included in the calculation of the Nikkei 225 index are the share prices of Rakuten Group Inc. (+5.6%), M3 Inc. (+3.4%), and SoftBank Group (+3.2%), as well as Fast Retailing (+2.3%) were noted. A less significant increase in the value of securities was shown by Sony, Toyota Motor, and Nissan Motor, which rose by 0.4%, 0.1%, and 0.6%, respectively.
The value of securities of Shimamura Co. increased by 8.4% due to excellent reporting results for the 2021 fiscal year, which ended in March. The company managed to get a record net income, as well as a positive forecast for 2022.
At the same time, the stock prices of other Japanese companies declined: Pacific Metals Co. by 6.6%, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. by 4.6%, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. by 3.6%, Dai-Chi Life by 4.7%, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 1.7%.
The level of consumer prices in South Korea increased by 4.1% over the past month compared to the same period in 2021. For this country, this level of inflation has become the highest in the last ten years. At the same time, the indicator exceeded the forecasts of experts who expected the indicator to grow by only 3.8%.
Among the components of the KOSPI indicator, only Hyundai Motor securities showed a slight increase (by 0.6%), and Samsung Electronics Co. stock quotes remained unchanged in comparison with the closing level of yesterday's trading.
The Central Bank of Australia has decided to leave the interest rate at a minimum of 0.1%. This coincided with the forecasts of experts. This rating level has been maintained in the country for more than one year.
Among the companies included in the calculation of the S&P/ASX 200 indicator, the increase in the value of securities was noted by Xero (+4.1%), Wisetech Global (+2.5%), as well as Altium (+3.8%).
Due to the increase in the cost of oil, the share prices of companies engaged in oil production and refining also increased: Woodside Petroleum by 2.9%, Santos, Ltd. by 2.1%, and Beach Energy by 1.6%.
At the same time, mining companies are losing the value of shares: BHP quotes decreased by 0.9%, and Rio Tinto - by 0.4%.
