[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Stocks in Asia-Pacific posted gains in trading Monday morning as optimism grew about the approval of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.69% in morning trading, while the Topix index rose 0.89%.
The Bank of Japan’s quarterly tankan survey on Monday showed that business confidence in Japan improved in the three months through December. The general index of big manufacturer confidence improved to minus 10 compared to minus 27 in September. A median market forecast expected the figure to drop to minus 15, according to Reuters.
In South Korea, the Kospi added 0.24%, recovering from a previous drop. Meanwhile, stocks in Australia were up, with the S & P / ASX 200 rising around 0.4%.
MSCI’s broader Asia-Pacific equity index outside of Japan traded 0.12% higher.
In coronavirus developments in the United States, CDC Director Robert Redfield approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, allowing vaccines to officially advance for people 16 years of age and older. That came after the FDA’s emergency clearance of the Pfizer vaccine. The United States has begun shipping the doses to hundreds of distribution centers across the country.
Coins and oil
The US dollar index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of its peers, was at 90,797 after recently seeing levels above 91.
The Japanese yen was trading at 103.98 per dollar after strengthening levels last week above 104.4 against the dollar. The Australian dollar changed hands at $ 0.7544, having risen from levels below $ 0.749 last week.
Oil prices rose in the morning of Asian business hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures rising 0.18% to $ 50.06 a barrel. US crude futures also rose 0.17% to $ 46.65 a barrel.
– CNBC’s Emma Newburger contributed to this report.
