SYDNEY- Asian shares firmed on Monday as demand for tech stocks buoyed Japan’s market, while a data-packed week promises to be pivotal to the outlook for the Chinese economy and US interest rates.
China’s factory activity slowed in June as the Caixin manufacturing survey showed a dip to 50.5, from 50.9 in May. That slightly beat market forecasts of 50.2, but still underlining the weakening trend seen in other surveys.
China’s central bank has promised more “forceful” action to support the economy and looks likely to soon get a new boss. Something major is needed given Chinese blue chips shed 5 percent last quarter while much of the developed world rallied.
“As Japan found in the 1990s, it’s hard work stimulating an economy experiencing a significant property slump against a backdrop of high sector debt and a falling population,” cautioned analysts at ANZ in a note.
In contrast, hopes Japanese firms will fill any gaps created by Sino-US decoupling combined with a weak yen to lift the Nikkei almost 20 percent last quarter. The index was up another 1.5 percent on Monday and within a hair’s breadth of recent peaks.
A survey from the Bank of Japan showed business sentiment improved in the second quarter as easing supply constraints and the removal of pandemic curbs lifted factory output and demand.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.8 percent, though it has been lagging far behind Japan’s market.
EUROSTOXX 50 futures and FTSE futures both added 0.3 percent. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were steady ahead of the July 4 holiday, having gained more than 6 percent in June.
The high-flying tech sector could get another boost from news delivered a record 466,000 vehicles in the second quarter, topping market estimates of around 445,000.
That followed Apple’s crossing above $3 trillion in valuation for the first time on Friday and sealing the Nasdaq’s best quarter in 40 years.
Analysts at BofA noted the market value of the seven biggest tech stocks had ballooned by $4.1 trillion so far this year, while Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet combined were worth more than the entire emerging market. -Reuters
