Asian Stocks Advance After U.S. Share Rally as Fed Vows Patience

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Asian stocks rose, following the biggest surge in U.S. shares since October 2013, after the Federal Reserve pledged patience on interest-rate increases and the yen weakened, boosting Japanese equities.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.7 percent to 134.55 as of 9:04 a.m. in Tokyo. The measure slumped 2.5 percent the previous three days as a slump in oil and Russias currency stoked concern about global growth. The Fed said it will be patient on the timeline for higher rates, replacing a pledge to keep borrowing costs near zero for a œconsiderable time, even as the economy strengthened. The Standard & Poors 500 Index jumped 2 percent yesterday while the yen slid 1.9 percent against the dollar.

Japans Topix index climbed 2.4 percent. South Koreas Kospi index added 0.6 percent. Australias S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 1.6 percent, while New Zealands NZX 50 Index rose 0.4 percent.

Source : Bloomberg

S&P 500 Menguat Tajam Sejak Oktober 2013 Lalu

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Saham AS rally, memberikan indeks Standard & Poor 500 gain terbesar sejak Oktober 2013 lalu, karena saham energi rebound dan Federal Reserve mengatakan akan bersabar terkait waktu kenaikan suku bunga.

Indeks S & P 500 naik sebesar 2 persen ke level 2,012.84 pukul 04:00 di New York, pasca mengalami koreksi selama tiga sesi. Indeks Dow Jones Industrial Average naik 287,03 poin, atau 1,7 persen, ke level 17,355.90. Volume perdagangan di S & P 500 sebesar 34 persen di atas moving average 30-hari hari ini.

Bank sentral AS mengatakan akan bersabar terkait waktu kenaikan suku bunga pertama sejak tahun 2006 lalu, menggantikan janji untuk menjaga biaya pinjaman mendekati nol untuk "waktu yang cukup," dan meningkatkan penilaian dari pasar tenaga kerja.

Perubahan dalam petunjuk merupakan langkah dalam rencana The Fed untuk keluar dari pelonggaran kebijakan moneter dalam sejarah 100 tahun terakhir. Sementara penurunan tingkat pengangguran yang lebih cepat dari perkiraan mendorong bank sentral untuk menaikkan suku tahun depan, jatuhnya harga minyak dan komoditas membuat laju inflasi di bawah target. (izr)

Sumber: Bloomberg

Oil Trades Near 5-Year Low as Russia Mirrors OPEC Output Policy

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Oil traded near a five-year low as Russia reiterated that it will keep crude output steady next year, mirroring OPECs strategy to refrain from curbing supply to tackle a global glut.

Futures fell as much as 1.4 percent in New York after sliding below $55 a barrel yesterday for the first time since May 2009. Production from Russia, the worlds largest crude producer, will be similar to this years 10.6 million barrels a day, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said. Iran is said to be offering supplies to Asia at the deepest discount in 14 years, taking a cue from Saudi Arabia in reducing price differentials.

Oil has slumped 45 percent this year as a surge in shale drilling lifted U.S. output to a three-decade high amid slowing global demand growth. Leading members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries such as Saudi Arabia have resisted calls from smaller producers including Venezuela and Ecuador to cut output quotas to stem the price rout.

West Texas Intermediate for January delivery dropped as much as 76 cents to $55.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $55.37 at 8:45 a.m. Singapore time. The contract gained 2 cents to $55.93 yesterday. Total volume was about 59 percent below the 100-day average. Prices are set for the biggest annual loss since 2008.

Brent for January settlement expired yesterday after declining $1.20, or 2 percent, to $59.86 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark crude ended the session at a premium of $3.93 to WTI.

Source : Bloomberg

Yen Retreats From Four-Week High Before Fed; N.Z. Dollar Slides

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The yen retreated from the strongest in four weeks against the dollar before the Federal Reserve concludes a two-day policy meeting today.

The yen has been the biggest gainer among the 10-currency Bloomberg Correlation-Weighted Indexes in the past week as tumbling oil added to concern the global economy will falter, boosting demand for havens. The ruble collapsed to a record yesterday even after Russia increased borrowing costs to the most since 1998. A gauge of emerging-market currencies fell to a 12-year low. New Zealands kiwi declined after the South Pacific nations current-account deficit widened.

The yen dropped 0.5 percent to 116.98 per dollar at 9:26 a.m. in Tokyo from yesterday, when it touched 115.57, the strongest since Nov. 17. Japans currency slid 0.4 percent to 146.27 per euro after advancing 1.6 percent in the previous two sessions. The dollar was little changed at $1.2503 per euro.

New Zealands kiwi fell 0.2 percent to 77.82 U.S. cents.

Source : Bloomberg