Sensex, Nifty End Modestly Higher; Financials Underperform

The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in consecutive trading days, climbing more than 675 points or 2.7 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 25,630-point plateau and it may see mild upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The Hang Seng finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the property stocks, technology companies and financial shares. For the day, the index gained 215.93 points or 0.85 percent to finish at 25,633.91 after trading between 25,387.81 and 25,664.01. Among the actives, Alibaba Group spiked 4.17 percent, while ANTA Sports climbed 0.85 percent, China Life Insurance sank 0.35 percent, China Mengniu Dairy and Nongfu Spring both shed 0.20 percent, China Resources Land improved 0.45 percent, CITIC surged 6.81 percent, CNOOC added 0.40 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical accelerated 2.59 percent, Galaxy Entertainment advanced 0.58 percent, Hang Lung Properties gained 0.12 percent, Henderson Land increased 0.23 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas jumped 1.74 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China collected 0.35 percent, JD.com strengthened 1.06 percent, Lenovo plunged 3.00 percent, Li Auto stumbled 1.02 percent, Li Ning rose 0.11 percent, Meituan slumped 0.97 percent, New World Development skyrocketed 17.40 percent, Techtronic Industries dipped 0.10 percent, Xiaomi Corporation rallied 2.05 percent, WuXi Biologics soared 5.52 percent and Haier Smart Home and Alibaba Health Info were unchanged.

The Australian stock market is trading modestly lower on Tuesday, extending the losses in the previous session, despite the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling well below the 8,850 level, with weakness in iron ore miners, financial and energy stocks partially offset by gains in gold miners.

The China stock market has finished higher in back-to-back sessions, gathering more than 60 points or 1.6 percent along the way. The Shanghai Composite Index now sits just above the 3,825-point plateau and it has another firm lead for Tuesday's trade. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The SCI finished modestly higher on Monday as gains from the property and energy stocks were offset by weakness from the financial and resource sectors. For the day, the index rose 14.33 points or 0.38 percent to finish at 3,826.84 after trading between 3,803.60 and 3,833.14. The Shenzhen Composite Index gained 21.57 points or 0.90 percent to end at 2,427.39. Among the actives, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China shed 0.54 percent, while Bank of China dropped 0.91 percent, Agricultural Bank of China lost 0.55 percent, China Merchants Bank sank 0.77 percent, Bank of Communications retreated 1.24 percent, China Life Insurance slumped 0.87 percent, Jiangxi Copper tanked 2.93 percent, Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) skidded 1.04 percent, Yankuang Energy jumped 1.62 percent, PetroChina eased 0.11 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) dipped 0.18 percent, Huaneng Power rallied 2.52 percent, China Shenhua Energy slipped 0.29 percent, Gemdale soared 4.36 percent, Poly Developments rose 0.26 percent and China Vanke spiked 2.58 percent.

The Taiwan stock market has tracked higher in four straight sessions, collecting more than 525 points or 2.1 percent along the way. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just beneath the 24,550-point plateau and it's tipped to open to the upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The TSE finished modestly higher on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares, technology stocks and plastics companies. For the day, the index picked up 52.80 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 24,547.38 after trading between 24,526.14 and 24,729.96. Among the actives, Mega Financial dropped 0.97 percent, while First Financial collected 0.68 percent, E Sun Financial tanked 2.04 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation advanced 0.97 percent, Hon Hai Precision sank 0.73 percent, Largan Precision fell 0.21 percent, Catcher Technology climbed 1.07 percent, MediaTek shed 0.35 percent, Novatek Microelectronics lost 0.34 percent, Formosa Plastics improved 0.93 percent, Nan Ya Plastics eased 0.13 percent, Asia Cement was down 0.27 percent and Cathay Financial, CTBC Financial, Fubon Financial, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Delta Electronics were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is cautiously optimistic as the major averages opened mixed on Monday but all finished with modest gains.

The Singapore stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 20 points or 0.4 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now sits just shy of the 4,310-point plateau and it's tipped to open in the green again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The STI finished barely higher on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares, property stocks and industrial issues. For the day, the index perked 1.44 points or 0.03 percent to finish at 4,308.52 after trading between 4,296.13 and 4,319.06. Among the actives, CapitaLand Ascendas REIT and Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust both strengthened 1.08 percent, while CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust rallied 1.33 percent, CapitaLand Investment added 0.72 percent, City Developments advanced 1.05 percent, Comfort DelGro jumped 1.36 percent, DBS Group collected 0.08 percent, DFI Retail Group sank 0.60 percent, Hongkong Land dropped 0.94 percent, Keppel DC REIT increased 0.86 percent, Keppel Ltd was up 0.12 percent, Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust accelerated 1.44 percent, Mapletree Industrial Trust improved 0.96 percent, Mapletree Logistics Trust spiked 1.63 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation eased 0.18 percent, SATS gained 0.61 percent, Seatrium Limited lost 0.42 percent, SembCorp Industries rose 0.49 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering perked 0.25 percent, SingTel tumbled 1.37 percent, Thai Beverage climbed 1.06 percent, United Overseas Bank shed 0.53 percent, UOL Group gathered 0.27 percent, Wilmar International fell 0.34 percent, Yangzijiang Financial surged 3.81 percent, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding soared 2.26 percent and Genting Singapore was unchanged.

The Malaysia stock market bounced higher again on Monday, one session after ending the two-day winning streak in which it had gathered just 3 points or 0.2 percent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,585-point plateau and it may see additional support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The KLCI finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares, plantation stocks and industrials. For the day, the index added 7.44 points or 0.47 percent to finish at 1,585.59 after trading between 1,579.57 and 1,587.16. Among the actives, Axiata jumped 1.65 percent, while Celcomdigi slumped 1.08 percent, CIMB Group lost 0.41 percent, Gamuda added 0.54 percent, IHH Healthcare gathered 0.14 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong gained 0.40 percent, Maxis rose 0.28 percent, Maybank and Hong Leong Bank both were up 0.10 percent, MISC perked 0.13 percent, MRDIY tumbled 3.16 percent, Nestle Malaysia increased 0.82 percent, Petronas Chemicals surged 5.00 percent, Petronas Dagangan strengthened 1.56 percent, Petronas Gas dropped 0.86 percent, PPB Group soared 3.12 percent, Press Metal shed 0.54 percent, Public Bank collected 0.23 percent, QL Resources fell 0.24 percent, RHB Bank climbed 1.23 percent, Sime Darby accelerated 2.46 percent, SD Guthrie advanced 1.19 percent, Telekom Malaysia sank 0.71 percent, Tenaga Nasional rallied 1.99 percent, YTL Corporation improved 1.20 percent, YTL Power spiked 2.72 percent and 99 Speed Mart Retail, AMMB Holdings, IOI Corporation and Sunway were unchanged.

The Japanese stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, advancing more than 1,700 points or 3.9 percent in that span. The Nikkei 225 now sits just beneath the 43,650-point plateau and it may add to its winnings on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The Nikkei finished sharply higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares, technology stocks and automobile producers. For the day, the index jumped 625.06 points or 1.45 percent to finish at 43,643.81 after trading between 43,343.58 and 43,838.60. Among the actives, Nissan Motor accelerated 2.38 percent, while Mazda Motor surged 7.15 percent, Toyota Motor rose 0.25 percent, Honda Motor perked 0.06 percent, Softbank Group jumped 2.09 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial collected 0.75 percent, Mizuho Financial added 0.66 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial was up 0.15 percent, Mitsubishi Electric gained 0.05 percent, Sony Group rallied 2.25 percent, Panasonic Holdings increased 0.13 percent and Hitachi advanced 0.90 percent. The lead from Wall Street is cautiously optimistic as the major averages opened mixed on Monday but all finished with modest gains.

The South Korea stock market has moved higher in five straight sessions, collecting more than 75 points or 2.4 percent along the way. The KOSPI now rests just beneath the 3,220-point plateau and it may tick higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The KOSPI finished modestly higher on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares, technology stocks, industrial issues and chemicals. For the day, the index added 14.47 points or 0.45 percent to finish at 3,219.59 after trading between 3,206.34 and 3,221.14. Volume was 366.37 worth 8.15 trillion won. There were 542 gainers and 324 decliners. Among the actives, Shinhan Financial fell 0.31 percent, while KB Financial tumbled 1.75 percent, Hana Financial collected 0.37 percent, Samsung Electronics improved 0.86 percent, Samsung SDI rallied 1.41 percent, LG Electronics lost 0.54 percent, SK Hynix strengthened 1.26 percent, Naver slipped 0.44 percent, Lotte Chemical sank 0.63 percent, SK Innovation added 0.38 percent, POSCO Holdings climbed 1.08 percent, SK Telecom slumped 1.28 percent, KEPCO spiked 2.31 percent, Hyundai Motor shed 0.68 percent, Kia Motors retreated 1.59 percent and LG Chem and Hyundai Mobis were unchanged.