Asian Stocks Stronger on Upbeat Earnings, China Factory Data

Asian stock markets were higher on Wednesday following the Dow industrial’s record-high finish as upbeat corporate earnings reports and China factory data boosted investor confidence. Apple’s surprise earnings report pushed up share prices of its Asian suppliers.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 percent to 20,108.10 and South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.3 percent to 2,430.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 0.5 percent to 27,667.39 while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 percent to 3,294.41. Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 bucked the region’s trend, falling 0.5 percent to 5,742.90 as commodity prices dropped. Stocks in Southeast Asia were mostly higher.

Analysts said robust Chinese factory output reported earlier this week continued to embolden investors as they awaited more data releases. On Tuesday, Caixin/Markit factory purchasing managers’ index, a private Chinese manufacturing survey, showed activity expanded last month to its highest level in four months. Overnight in the U.S., the Institute for Supply Management reports showed output by U.S. factories expanded again last month, though at a slower pace than in June. Later Wednesday, U.S. payroll processor ADP will give its employment updates for July. But the biggest highlight will be the U.S. jobs report due Friday.

“Despite the blemish from softer crude prices, markets in the Asian region are poised for further up moves in the morning,” said Jingyi Pan, a market strategist at IG in Singapore. “Early movers in the region, with the exception of the Australian market, continued to bask in the glow of the positive Caixin PMI data from Tuesday and could continue this trend midweek.”

U.S. stocks finished higher on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 0.2 percent to 2,476.35. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.3 percent to 21,963.92, closing at a record high for the fifth day in a row. The Nasdaq composite added 0.2 percent to 6,362.94. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks gained 0.2 percent to 1,428.33

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 49 cents to $48.67 per barrel in electronic trading on New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract shed $1.01, or 2 percent, to close at $49.16 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 47 cents to $51.31 per barrel in London. It dropped 94 cents, or 1.8 percent, to finish at $51.78 a barrel on Tuesday.

The dollar rose to 110.84 yen from 110.36 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1825 from $1.1802.