U.S. Crude Oil Inventories Extend Recent Surge

The Thai stock market on Monday ended the two-day winning streak in which it had picked up more than a dozen points or 0.9 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just beneath the 1,380-point plateau although it's expected to open to the upside on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside.

Members of the Reserve Bank of Australia's Monetary Policy Board said that the country's economy was slowing and that inflation was declining less than expected, minutes from the central bank's May 7 meeting revealed on Tuesday.

The Indonesia stock market on Monday snapped the three-day winning streak in which it had jumped more than 230 points or 3.3 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just beneath the 7,270-point plateau although it's expected to rebound on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside. The JCI finished modestly lower on Monday following losses from the financial shares and mixed performances from the cement and resource companies. For the day, the index sank 50.55 points or 0.69 percent to finish at 7,266.69 after trading between 7,243.01 and 7,374.55. Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga sank 0.80 percent, while Bank Mandiri plunged 3.80 percent, Bank Danamon Indonesia fell 0.37 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia plummeted 3.77 percent, Bank Central Asia tanked 2.82 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia stumbled 2.03 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison surrendered 3.48 percent, Indocement rose 0.36 percent, Semen Indonesia slumped 1.72 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur climbed 1.22 percent, United Tractors accelerated 2.47 percent, Astra International retreated 1.25 percent, Energi Mega Persada soared 2.07 percent, Astra Agro Lestari strengthened 1.64 percent, Aneka Tambang rallied 2.16 percent, Vale Indonesia skyrocketed 7.52 percent, Timah lost 0.51 percent, Bumi Resources spiked 2.17 percent and Perusahaan Perseroan and Jasa Marga were unchanged.

The Australian stock market is modestly lower on Tuesday after opening in the green, giving up some of the gains in the previous session, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is staying below the 7,900 level, with weakness in iron ore miners and energy stocks are partially offset by gains in technology stocks.

The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, climbing almost 560 points or 3 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 19,630-point plateau and it may see additional support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside.

The China stock market has tracked higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 50 points or 1.8 percent in that span. The Shanghai Composite Index now sits just above the 3,170-point plateau and it's tipped to open in the green again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside. The SCI finished modestly higher again on Monday following gains from the resource and energy companies, while the financials were soft and the properties were mixed. For the day, the index added 17.12 points or 0.54 percent to finish at 3,171.15 after trading between 3,155.99 and 3,174.27. The Shenzhen Composite Index gained 8.39 points or 0.47 percent to end at 1,793.98. Among the actives, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China dipped 0.18 percent, while Bank of China shed 0.45 percent, China Construction Bank lost 0.42 percent, China Merchants Bank retreated 1.28 percent, Bank of Communications sank 0.57 percent, China Life Insurance advanced 1.00 percent, Jiangxi Copper skyrocketed 5.87 percent, Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) surged 4.76 percent, Yankuang Energy soared 3.54 percent, PetroChina rallied 2.92 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) climbed 1.10 percent, Huaneng Power jumped 1.70 percent, China Shenhua Energy accelerated 2.61 percent, Gemdale spiked 5.25 percent, Poly Developments slumped 1.07 percent and China Vanke was up 2.00 percent.

The Taiwan stock market ticked higher again on Monday, one session after ending the five-day winning streak in which it had surged more than 750 points or 3.8 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just above the 21,270-point plateau although it's likely to bounce higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside. The TSE finished slightly higher on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares, technology stocks and plastics and cement companies. For the day, the index perked 13.16 points or 0.06 percent to finish at 21,271.63 after trading between 21,102.18 and 21,338.35. Among the actives, Cathay Financial sank 0.71 percent, while Mega Financial dipped 0.12 percent, CTBC Financial collected 1.18 percent, First Financial surged 3.03 percent, Fubon Financial skidded 1.07 percent, E Sun Financial improved 1.38 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation added 0.57 percent, Hon Hai Precision retreated 1.47 percent, Largan Precision shed 0.43 percent, Catcher Technology shed 0.68 percent, MediaTek rallied 2.15 percent, Delta Electronics declined 1.40 percent, Novatek Microelectronics strengthened 1.49 percent, Formosa Plastics fell 0.29 percent, Nan Ya Plastics gained 1.24 percent, Asia Cement jumped 1.91 percent, Taiwan Cement slid 0.15 percent, China Steel advanced 0.80 percent and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was unchanged.

The Singapore stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, gathering almost 25 points or 0.6 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now rests just beneath the 3,315-point plateau and it's expected to extend its gains again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with strength likely from the technology shares. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets are tipped to open to the upside.