Emerging stocks climb for second day as oil boosts energy shares
By Bloomberg
Emerging-market stocks climbed for a second day as energy producers rallied on higher oil prices and Lenovo Group Ltd. led gains in technology shares after its earnings beat estimates. The South Korean won and Indonesian rupiah rose.
PTT Exploration & Production Pcl jumped 4.9 percent in Bangkok, while S-Oil Corp. climbed to a nine-month high in Seoul. Lenovo rallied the most in a year. Hyundai Motor Co. sank 3.2 percent after reporting lower sales. Axis Bank Ltd. led declines by Indian banks after the nation’s central bank left interest rates unchanged. The rupiah climbed 0.6 percent against the dollar, while the won rose 0.5 percent.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 0.1 percent to 964.97 at 1:48 p.m. in Hong Kong. Oil is heading for its biggest four- day rally since 2011 on speculation that crude’s collapse to an almost six-year low will prompt producers to scale back output and reduce a glut.
“Oil prices have halted their continued slide and that’s improving sentiment toward energy companies,” said Allan Yu, who helps manage $7.5 billion as first vice president at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. in Manila. “Higher earnings at technology companies is a positive sign.”
MSCI’s developing nation gauge has gained 0.9 percent this year and is valued at 11.4 times 12-month projected earnings. The MSCI World Index has lost 1 percent in 2015 and trades at 15.9 times.
Four of the 10 industry groups in the emerging market index rose, led by energy producers. A gauge of utilities declined 0.4 percent.
Crude Rally
PTT Exploration headed for its biggest gain since Dec. 18, while S-Oil gained 5.7 percent.
West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.8 percent to $49.95 a barrel. WTI settled at a one-month high on Monday. It hit its lowest price since March 2009 on Jan. 28.
Lenovo, a Chinese maker of personal computer and smartphone, jumped 5.7 percent in Hong Kong. The company posted a $253 million profit in the quarter ended December, exceeding the $182.4 million average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Korea Electric Power Corp. decreased 3 percent in Seoul, pacing declines among utilities on speculation higher oil will damp earnings.
Hyundai Motor headed for its sharpest loss since Dec. 17. Domestic sales at South Korea’s largest carmaker fell 2.2 percent while overseas sales declined 7.3 percent, according to a regulatory filing.
Borrowing Costs
Axis Bank dropped 1.1 percent. Indian central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan left interest rates unchanged three weeks after an unscheduled cut, signaling that he wants to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first full-year budget before easing further.
The Shanghai Composite Index added 1 percent, halting a five-day slide. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index retreated 0.2 percent in a seventh day of declines, its longest losing streak since June 2013.
Equity benchmark indexes in Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia advanced at least 0.4 percent. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 0.3 percent.
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