Monday, 09 July 2018 04:00

Asian markets make strong gains, though Xiaomi sputters after IPO

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Asian stocks made strong gains early Monday, building on the Friday uptick seen in much of the world, including Wall Street.

Japan’s Nikkei NIK, +1.37%[1]   jumped strong out of the gate, up 1.2% as the yen slipped against the dollar USDJPY, +0.00%[2]  . Electronics companies led the way, with Sony 6758, +3.30%[3]  , TDK 6762, +4.72%[4]  and Fujitsu 6702, +4.04%[5]  up more than 3%, while Murata Manufacturing 6981, +4.95%[6]   surged 5.3% following a Nikkei report of price increases for its ceramic capacitors.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index HSI, +1.56%[7]   gained 1.4% following its first four-week losing streak since November 2016. Tencent 0700, +2.28%[8]   was up 2.1% after disclosing plans to take its music business public in the U.S. Meanwhile, smartphone-component maker AAC 2018, +2.17%[9]   gained 2%.

Shares of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. 1810, +0.00%[10]  , which raised US$4.7 billion in one of Hong Kong’s largest tech initial public offerings in recent years, fell on their debut. The lackluster start came after Xiaomi priced its IPO at the low end of an expected range, giving the company a valuation of $54 billion. If the shares perform poorly in the coming days and weeks, they could hurt the prospects of other tech companies who are preparing their own multibillion-dollar listings in the city. Xiaomi opened at HK$16.60, 2.4% lower...

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