TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Asian shares rose to a two-month high on Thursday as expectations of further government stimulus supported investor confidence in an economic recovery from the global coronavirus pandemic.
FILE PHOTO: An investor sits next to a stock quotation board at a brokerage office in Beijing, China January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Lee
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.43%, earlier touching the highest since March 9.
Shares in Australia rose 0.93% after the country’s prime minister unveiled a fourth stimulus package to repair the economy, this time aimed at the battered construction sector.
Chinese shares were little changed due to lingering worries about diplomatic tension between the United States and China, while U.S. stock futures fell 0.15%.
Euro Stoxx 50 futures were down 0.03%, German DAX futures were up 0.17%, while FTSE futures were down 0.1%, suggesting a cautious start for European equities.
The euro held onto gains before a European Central Bank meeting later on Thursday, where policymakers are expected to