source from:WSJ
MARKETS  ASIA STOCKS
Asian Shares Rise, Helped by Apple Suppliers
Coming U.S., Japan central-bank policy meetings add uncertainty

By KOSAKU NARIOKA
Updated Sept. 16, 2016 4:40 a.m. ET
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Asian stock markets rose Friday, helped by gains in Apple Inc.’s suppliers, while some uncertainty remained over the outcomes from central-bank policy meetings in Japan and the U.S. next week.

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average gained 0.7%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.1%. New Zealand’s NZX-50 rose 0.8% and Singapore’s Straits Times Index was up 0.6%. India’s Nifty 50 index was 1% higher.

Markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia were closed for the Mid-Autumn festival.

In Australia, all sectors of the market advanced for the day, with energy stocks leading the gains after crude-oil price gains overnight.

New Zealand shares rose as confidence deepened in the country’s economic outlook after gross domestic product data released Thursday showed its economy grew by 0.9% in the second quarter.

Indian shares gained, helped by hopes of further rate cuts by the country’s central bank as inflation slows. Rate-sensitive sectors such as autos and banks rose.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. climbed 2.4%. State Bank of India added 1.1%.

Gains in Asian markets followed a sharp rise in Apple shares overnight, which boosted major U.S. indexes. Apple began shipping its new iPhone models Friday.

Tomoichiro Kubota, senior market analyst at Matsui Securities, said some are speculating it will see solid sales. “It’s a hot topic, and buying is spreading to Apple-linked stocks,” he said.

The shares of electronics equipment makers that supply parts to Apple advanced. Murata Manufacturing Co. rose 4.2% and TDK Corp. gained 4%.

Still, many investors remained cautious and refrained from trading aggressively before monetary-policy decisions from the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve next week.

Japanese bank stocks made some gains following comments from the head of the Japanese banking industry association on Thursday that the Bank of Japan’s negative interest rates have raised concerns about business sentiment among corporate executives rather than boosting their loan demand.

Analysts said the comments helped reduce expectations that the central bank would lower its rate on bank excess reserves further into negative territory, which would hurt banks’ profits.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. gained 2.7%. Resona Holdings Inc. rose 3.4%.

“It’s probably difficult to lower the negative rate further when there is this much criticism,” said Soichiro Monji, general manager of economic research at Daiwa SB Investments.


Policy-meeting outcomes are likely to offer trading cues for the broader Asia region, including Australia, which is set for a quiet week of data releases.

Australian “shares may get a short-term boost if, as expected, the Fed leaves rates on hold in the week ahead. But after a period of strong gains from February lows, they remain vulnerable to a further correction in the next few months,” said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital in Sydney.

—Suryatapa Bhattacharya, Robb M. Stewart, David Winning, and Debiprasad Nayak contributed to this article.