Tokyo's main index closes near the highs for the day
Japanese stocks are mostly in a buoyant mood today as the Nikkei edges higher on the back of gains seen in construction stocks after Osaka won the bid to host the World Expo in 2025. There was also a jump higher in FamilyMart shares amid low liquidity and that is helping to boost the Nikkei on the day.
Equities sentiment remains relatively buoyant with the Hang Seng index up by 1.5% and the rest of the region are also posting gains for the most part. The only struggle remains in mainland China as major equity indices are down slightly by 0.1%.
It's going to be a big week for equities with Powell due to speak on Wednesday and investors will be looking forward to that for further clues on the Fed's rate hike cycle next year. And there's also the Trump-Xi summit to come at the weekend that will see developments in the US-China trade rhetoric.
