Asian shares mostly higher as US reports surging virus cases

Asian shares were mostly higher Monday in Asia despite reports that the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and worldwide has surged sharply.

Asian Shares

  • The Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% higher to 22,499.32,.
  • The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.3% to 24,581.34.
  • The Kospi in South Korea slipped 0.1% to 2,138.42,.
  • In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 picked up 0.3% to 5,959.70.
  • The Shanghai Composite index also added 0.3% to 2,975.57. Shares rose in Taiwan and Singapore but fell in Jakarta.

Bonds

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was steady Monday at 0.69% after climbing as high as 0.74% on Friday. It tends to move with investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

Oil Prices

  • A barrel of U.S. crude oil for delivery in July gave up 17 cents to $39.58 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 2.3% to settle at $39.75 on Friday.
  • Brent crude, the international standard, lost 3 cents to $42.16 per barrel. It gained 1.6% to settle at $42.19 per barrel and the week’s end.

Currency Markets

  • In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was at 106.89 Japanese yen, up from 106.87 on Friday.
  • The euro rose to $1.1193 from $1.1178.

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