Low angle view of tall buildings in Tokyo, Japan, showcasing diverse architectural styles
George Pachantouris | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher after U.S. President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats reached a provisional agreement to avoid a U.S. government shutdown.
Trump endorsed a Senate deal to fund the vast majority of the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year, easing near-term political uncertainty for investors.
Senators clinched a deal with just over a day until a partial government shutdown. They agreed to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security from the package and pass the other five bills, while DHS will be funded by a stopgap.
South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.34% while the small-cap Kosdaq slid 0.25%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was flat, and the Topix added 0.22%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.44%.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 27,829, below the benchmark’s last close of 27,968.09.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 were down 0.16%, as were Nasdaq 100 futures. Dow futures fell 112 points, or about 0.2%.
Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 fell, bogged down by Microsoft, as traders reacted to the megacap technology company’s latest earnings results and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.
The broad market index slipped 0.13% to close at 6,969.01, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.72% to end at 23,685.12. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.11%, or 55.96 points, and settled at 49,071.56. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin shed more than 5% and hit its lowest level in almost two months.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.