International stock markets mostly rose, as investors anticipated higher government spending under a Democratic-controlled Senate and largely looked past the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, which for hours had disrupted the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.
By late morning in Hong Kong on Thursday, key benchmarks in Australia, Japan and South Korea had all risen, gaining between 1.8% and 2.3%. Indexes in Hong Kong and Shanghai retreated modestly, declining less than 0.5%.
Futures suggested that U.S. stocks could advance on Thursday, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rising between 0.4% and 0.8%. Most major U.S. indexes, except the Nasdaq, had gained Wednesday, despite the Capitol unrest.
“Overall, the markets are looking at the positives,” said Ken Wong, a portfolio manager at Eastspring Investments. He said investors were looking beyond the unrest in Washington, D.C.,