The Japanese currency advanced 0.2 percent to 104.93 per dollar by 10:40 a.m. in Hong Kong, after touching the weakest level since 2008 yesterday. The MSCI Asia Pacific Excluding Japan Index added 0.3 percent as Chinese shares gained in Hong Kong trading. U.S. equity-index futures were tiny changed after the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a record. Silver slipped 0.2 percent, while corn outstretched its biggest annual slip since at least 1965. Natural gas futures rose 0.4 percent.
Unprecedented monetary stimulus by the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve has bolstered the global economy and helped increase the market value of world stocks by $9.5 trillion this year. China said its local-government debt grew to 17.9 trillion yuan ($2.95 trillion), while the nations securities regulator gave approval for the first initial public offerings in more than a year as President Xi Jinping rolls out economic reforms. The U.S. reports housing and consumer confidence data today.