SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Reuters): An index tracking emerging-market stocks climbed to a three-week high on Wednesday and the currencies' gauge hit a record high, as gains in chipmakers and declining oil prices boosted the sentiment.
Robust earnings from AI-linked companies pushed Wall Street's S&P 500 and Dow to close at record highs overnight, easing demand concerns and renewing appetite for Asian semiconductor stocks, which have seen wild swings in recent weeks.
South Korean equities advanced 3.8%, led by gains in chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix , while Taiwan's benchmark rose 2.9%.
MSCI's index tracking global emerging markets stocks rose 2%, while its currencies equivalent also edged 0.2% higher. Markets were also supported by easing inflation concerns as oil prices extended declines, with traders waiting for the outcome of U.S.-Iran talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration was having "very good discussions" with Tehran.
Still, investors in the emerging markets remain cautious about energy supplies resuming and inflationary pressures easing even if a deal is reached and the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
"You've seen inflation levels in the region much higher than normal and that's not going to rectify itself anytime soon," said Michael Field, chief equity market strategist for EMEA at Morningstar.
"I would expect over the next six months to see the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other global organizations downgrade economic outlook forecasts for a lot of emerging market nations." Equities in emerging Europe were mixed. Hungary and Romania have been dealing with concerns about a potential energy crisis as water levels in the Danube river have reached record-low levels. The water is used for cooling of nuclear power plants operated by both the countries.
The Hungarian benchmark slipped 0.8%, while stocks in Romania rose 0.2%.
Among currencies, Hungary's forint dropped 0.8% against the euro after a similar sized gain in the previous session, while the Polish zloty fell 0.2%.
Asian currencies traded flat to higher against the dollar. South Africa's rand dipped 0.2%. Data showed that private sector expanded at a slightly lower pace in July. Its equities gained 0.6%, tracking higher precious metal prices.
The Turkish lira traded 0.1% lower. Investors will be also looking at the U.S. manufacturing activity report and private jobs data for July, expected later in the day, for clues on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.
(Reporting by Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru Editing by Tomasz Janowski) -- Reuters
