Asia-Pacific markets closed higher on Wednesday, 16 September, driven by a recovery in the technology sector and a stabilisation in oil prices and sovereign bond yields.
Investor attention is also turning to the US Federal Reserve, which is set to announce its monetary policy decision on Wednesday, with markets widely anticipating an interest rate increase in the world’s largest economy.
“Given the degree of monetary tightening already priced in and the new Fed chairman Kevin Warsh’s aversion to ‘forward guidance’, we believe it may be difficult for the Fed to adopt a more restrictive stance than what markets are already pricing in,” said Peter Dragicevich, head of currency strategy at Corpay Inc. “There is likely to be increased volatility following the Fed’s announcement, and we see risks of the dollar weakening after the event.”
Against this backdrop, South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.4% during the session, supported by gains in Samsung, up 2%, and SK Hynix, which rose 4%. In Japan, the Topix gained 0.6%, with Hitachi jumping 2.9%, while the Nikkei 225 added 0.7%. In Taiwan, the TAIEX rose 0.7%, also lifted by the technology sector, with MediaTek gaining 2.3% and AmTRAN Technology surging 10%.
“There is an uneasy calm in Asian markets that masks the risks building for the rest of the week. Investors remain convinced that sovereign bond yields and oil prices will stay elevated, but that equities will avoid a rout regardless of the decisions from the Fed, the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan,” said Mark Cranfield of MLive Strategist, as quoted by Bloomberg.
Still in trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 0.13% and the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.67%.
Also drawing attention in Asian markets was the sharp decline in Chinese battery giant CATL over the past two sessions. On Wednesday, shares fell a further 5.5% during trading, bringing the cumulative two-day loss to 10%.
“Sentiment in the battery sector is weak, due to intensifying competition and a possible shift in strategy by electric vehicle manufacturers regarding batteries,” said Kelvin Lau, chief executive of Daiwa Capital Markets, who noted there is some speculation surrounding the fall in CATL shares.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/16/mercados/mercados-mercados/pracas-asiaticas-recuperam-a-boleia-do-sector-tecnologico-catl-cai-10-em-dois-dias/
