Asian shares mostly climb after a rally for Apple led Wall Street higher
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.6% to 41,025.76.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.6% to 25,057.84 and the Shanghai Composite added 0.1% to 3,637.96. China reported that its exports picked up in July, helped by a flurry of shipments by businesses taking advantage of a pause in U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war with Beijing.
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.6% to 3,217.67 while the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia shed 0.2% to 8,828.70.
India's Sensex gave up 0.6% after Trump ordered tariffs on imports from the world's most populous nation to rise to 50%, citing its crude oil imports from Russia.
Trump also declared 100% tariffs on computer chips with an exemption for U.S. investments. Apple's shares rose 5.1% on Wednesday ahead of a White House event where it announced an increase to its U.S. investments of an additional $100 billion over the next four years.
Mizuho Bank, in a commentary, said the Trump's exemption from 100% tariffs on semiconductors for those with investments in U.S. production means trade partners may be able to use investments as a bargaining chip.
Taiwan's Taiex jumped 2.4% as shares in market heavyweight Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. surged 4.9%. TSMC is the world's largest contract maker of computer chips and it has been ramping up its investments in U.S. factory capacity, helping to alleviate the impact from higher tariffs.
South Korean chipmakers also saw strong gains, with Samsung Electronics jumping 2.1% after the government said its products would also be subject to the exemption.
On Wednesday, a rally for Apple led Wall Street higher, with U.S. stocks reclaiming more of their sharp losses from last week.
The S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,345.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2% to 44,193.12, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to 21,169.42. Apple alone accounted for more than a third of the S&P 500's gain.
Trading elsewhere on Wall Street was mixed following a jumble of profit reports. McDonald's and Shopify rose following their latest updates, while Super Micro Computer tumbled after its earnings and revenue came in below analysts' expectations. The Walt Disney Co. fell after its earnings beat forecasts but its revenue fell short
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Across the UK, the average property value in July was £298,237, up from £297,157 in June. Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said that July's increase represents "the biggest monthly rise since the start of this year." House prices increased by 2.4% compared to the same time last year, down slightly from a 2.7% annual rise in June. Bryden acknowledged the ongoing challenges faced by those looking to move up the property ladder, by saying that affordability remains a key concern. However, she pointed to the easing of mortgage rates and rising wages as positive developments. "The picture on affordability is gradually improving," she said. "Combined with the more flexible affordability assessments now in place, the result is a housing market that continues to show resilience, with activity levels holding up well." 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In terms of data, we'll have the initial and continuing jobless claims out in the US, while in Germany the highlight is June industrial production. Looking at earnings, the focus will be on Eli Lilly and Toyota. Here's a quick snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: InterContinental Hotels, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Harbour Energy, Deliveroo, Spectris, Serco, Just Group, Dowlais, Mears, Vanquis Banking 7am: Halifax house price index for July 12pm: Bank of England interest rate decision 12.30pm: Bank of England press conference 1.30pm: US weekly jobless report 3pm: US Wholesales Inventories 8pm: US Consumer Credit Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. To the day ahead, the main highlight in Europe will be the Bank of England's latest policy decision, along with the subsequent press conference with governor Andrew Bailey. In terms of data, we'll have the initial and continuing jobless claims out in the US, while in Germany the highlight is June industrial production. Looking at earnings, the focus will be on Eli Lilly and Toyota. Here's a quick snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: InterContinental Hotels, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Harbour Energy, Deliveroo, Spectris, Serco, Just Group, Dowlais, Mears, Vanquis Banking 7am: Halifax house price index for July 12pm: Bank of England interest rate decision 12.30pm: Bank of England press conference 1.30pm: US weekly jobless report 3pm: US Wholesales Inventories 8pm: US Consumer Credit Sign in to access your portfolio
