News

Global stocks rise after diplomatic overtures by Koreas, US

Posted August 15, 2017 7:00 am

By YURI KAGEYAMA

A man views the electronic stock indicator of a securities firm in Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. Asian shares rose Tuesday as both Koreas and the U.S. appeared to indicate a willingness to defuse the crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. A rally on Wall Street, on the back of strong technology shares, also helped. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) - Global shares rose Tuesday as both Koreas and the U.S. signaled a willingness to defuse the crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. A rally on Wall Street led by gains in technology shares also helped.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 added 0.2 percent to 5,132.11 in early trading, while Germany's DAX also rose 0.2 percent to 12,187.97. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.2 percent to 7,371.17. U.S. shares were set for gains, with Dow futures up 0.2 percent to 22,004.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2 percent to 2,467.90.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.1 percent to finish at 19,753.31. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5 percent to 5,757.50. South Korea's markets were closed for a national holiday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.3 percent to 27,174.96, while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.4 percent at 3,251.26. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly higher.

NORTH KOREA: North Korea said Tuesday leader Kim Jong Un was briefed on his military's plans to launch missiles into waters near Guam. But the comments also appeared to signal a path to defuse the deepening crisis with Washington, holding out the possibility that friction could ease if the U.S. made some gesture that Pyongyang considered a move to back away from previous "extremely dangerous reckless actions."

THE QUOTE: "Investors have once again stepped in, in search of returns, as the tensions surrounding North Korea seemingly dissipated. While the clearance of event risk remains a debate, it certainly does clear the air for other key event to shape market in the latter half of the week," Jingyi Pan of IG said in a commentary.

ENERGY: U.S. crude oil lost 1 cent to $47.58 a barrel. It lost $1.23 to $47.59 a barrel in New York Monday. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped 4 cents to $50.69 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 110.36 yen from 109.57 yen late Monday in Asia. The euro fell to $1.1756 from $1.1816.

___

This story has been corrected to say South Korean markets were closed Tuesday.

___

Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Her work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/yuri%20kageyama

A woman walks past an electronic stock indicator of a securities firm in Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. Asian shares rose Tuesday as both Koreas and the U.S. appeared to indicate a willingness to defuse the crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. A rally on Wall Street, on the back of strong technology shares, also helped. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) The Associated Press

People walk past an electronic stock indicator of a securities firm in Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. Asian shares rose Tuesday as both Koreas and the U.S. appeared to indicate a willingness to defuse the crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. A rally on Wall Street, on the back of strong technology shares, also helped. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Nation and World News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.