Asia Pacific markets higher; Samsung shares slip despite guidance that profit rose 44% last quarter
Asia-Pacific markets rose Wednesday as major indexes in Australia, Japan and South Korea notched gains.
Australia’s ASX 200 advanced 0.6%, with most sectors trading higher. But major banking stocks came under pressure as shares of ANZ declined 0.21% and the National Australia Bank lower by 0.08%. Westpac was slightly above the flatline, while Commonwealth Bank shares advanced 0.51%.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.35% while the Topix was up 0.6%.
South Korea’s Kospi added 0.47%. Samsung Electronics shares dipped 0.35% after the chip and smartphone maker issued earnings guidance for the first three months of 2021.
Samsung said it estimated operating profit for the quarter at 9.3 trillion Korean won ($8.3 billion), up 44% from a year ago. The company did not give detailed breakdown, which are due at the end of this month.
Wednesday’s session follows overnight losses on Wall Street, where U.S. stocks fell from record levels.
Reference: CNBC
Thai
Eng