GOOD MORNING ASIA

ECONOMY

On Tuesday, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.3% percent, following on from a rally on Wall Street overnight. U.S. retail sales data from January, which came in above expectations, also helped to support shares despite downward revisions to December data.
The amended Brexit deal gave a further boost to investors’ appetite for riskier assets, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to additional assurances in an updated Brexit deal with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday, but warned UK lawmakers would not get a third chance to endorse it. .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.79%, with gains tempered by a 5.3% drop in Boeing shares after some airlines grounded the company’s new 737 MAX 8 passenger jet following a second deadly crash of the airliner in five months. The S&P 500 gained 1.47% to 2,783.3.
Foreign investors are returning to Indian stock markets, attracted by the odds Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party will win coming elections and by hopes for deeper economic reforms and more monetary policy easing.
Stock exchange data showed net foreign portfolio inflows into India hit a 15-month high of $2.42 billion in February, a big swing from 2018's net outflows of $4.4 billion, the largest since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Sterling, which had risen ahead of the talks between May and Juncker, The pound was up 0.7%, buying $1.3239 and taking its gains for two days to more than 1.6%.
The euro was up 0.1% on the day at $1.1259.
USD/JPY is now trading above the 200-day moving average of 111.32, having hit a low of 110.88 yesterday. Risk reset in equities is likely pushing JPY lower.
AUD/USD slip on NAB business conditions and business confidence index for February missed estimate. The details show a marked deterioration in the forward-looking indicators.
Yields on U.S. Treasury bonds rose, with benchmark 10-year Treasury notes at 2.6591% compared with its U.S. close of 2.641% on Monday.
The two-year yield was at 2.4957% compared with a U.S. close of 2.477%.

OPEC has led supply cuts this year to prop up prices.
Strong maritime diesel demand to support oil prices.
Venezuela crisis hits oil exports.
U.S. supply boom offsets disruptions.
U.S. crude ticked up 0.3% at $56.96 a barrel. Brent crude was also 0.3% higher to $66.77.
Spot gold was 0.1% less precious at $1,292.77 per ounce.
Malaysian palm oil futures edged lower on Monday after government data showed a higher than expected build up in stocks of the edible oil.