Asian stocks rise as US inflation data dents September Fed hike bets
Asian stocks rose on Thursday after US inflation data came in as expected, dampening expectations of further near-term Federal Reserve rate hikes, while oil held near $80 a barrel as Washington and Tehran remained deadlocked over efforts to end the Gulf war. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.97%, led by South Korean shares jumping 4.4%. Japan’s Nikkei gained 1.86%, while S&P 500 E-minis were up 0.02%. U.S. consumer prices increased 0.1% in July, in line with expectations, data showed on Wednesday.