US stock futures and Chinese equities rose today as inflation data from the two largest economies has fueled hopes of monetary easing. The dollar held losses, following a drop in Treasury yields.
Contracts on the S&P 500 were around 0.2% higher after the index rose 0.4% on Wednesday. Futures contracts on the Nasdaq 100 also rose, following a rally of around 1.1%, where it closed at its highest level since August following a report that showed US inflation had cooled off.
Indexes in Hong Kong and mainland China shares gained as inflation and factory-gate price numbers came in below expectations. The declines keep the window open for monetary policy easing from the PBoC.
The bigger picture for Asian equities was mixed, with Japanese and Australian shares slightly lower in range-bound trading, while South Korea's benchmark gained.