Vaccine Hopes, EU Deal Drive Asia Pacific Shares Higher; Alibaba’s Ant Group Announces Dual-Listing

The major Asia Pacific stock indexes rebounded on Tuesday following Monday’s mixed performance with some hitting five-month highs after European Union leaders agreed on a massive stimulus plan for their coronavirus-blighted economies.

The indexes opened higher following Wall Street’s lead on hopes that vaccines against the COVID-19 disease might be ready by the end of the year, following promising early data from trials of three potential vaccines.

On Tuesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index settled at 22884.22, up 166.74 or +0.73%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is trading 25527.10, up 469.11 or 1.87% and South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed at 2228.83, up 30.63 or +1.39%.

China’s Shanghai Index is trading 3321.38, up 7.23 or +0.22% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed at 6156.30, up 154.70 or +2.58%.

Asian Shares Boosted by EU Recovery Fund Deal

European Union (EU) leaders reached a deal on a 750 billion Euro ($857 billion) recovery fund to help the region recover from the coronavirus crisis.

European Council President Charles Michel said he believes this deal will be seen as a “pivotal moment” for Europe. “We did it! Europe is strong. Europe is united,” he said in an early Tuesday press conference announcing the agreement. “These were, of course, difficult negotiations in very difficult times for all Europeans.”

Positive Coronavirus Vaccine News Buoys Market Sentiment

Asia Pacific markets were supported early in the session on Tuesday after investor sentiment was supported by a slew of positive news on the coronavirus vaccine front.

Pfizer and BioNTech reported early positive data on a joint coronavirus vaccine Monday and another candidate from Oxford University and AstraZeneca also showed a positive immune response in an early trial.

Alibaba’s Ant Could Be Bigger than Some Wall Street Banks

Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, announced plans for its long-awaited dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong on Monday. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding’s Hong Kong shares jumped 6.59% on the news.

Ant Group runs Alipay, one of China’s most popular mobile payment apps, but has also been expanding into products such as wealth management and loans.

Ant Group has not priced its shares yet but one analyst said the company could be valued at over $200 billion.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.