(RTTNews) - Asian stock markets are mostly higher on Thursday in holiday-thinned trade following the positive cues overnight from Wall Street amid optimism about U.S. fiscal stimulus after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they will continue talks on a new coronavirus relief bill.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan has suspended trading due to a technical issue, while the markets in China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong are closed for holidays.
The Australian market is rising following the overnight gains on Wall Street and as data showed that the manufacturing sector in Australia continued to expand at a faster rate in September.
According to reports, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce later today that his government will make A$1.5 billion available to Australian manufacturers across six priority areas to boost production of goods in Australia.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is advancing 44.20 points or 0.76 percent to 5,860.10, off a high of 5,869.90 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is adding 48.00 points or 0.80 percent to 6,057.30. Australian stocks closed sharply lower on Wednesday.
Among the major miners, BHP Group and Fortescue Metals are rising more than 2 percent each, while Rio Tinto is advancing 2 percent.
In the oil sector, Oil Search is advancing more than 1 percent, while Santos and Woodside Petroleum are adding almost 1 percent each after crude oil prices rose overnight.
The big four banks - ANZ Banking, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and National Australia Bank - are higher in a range of 0.1 percent to 0.5 percent.
In the tech space, Afterpay is advancing more than 1 percent and WiseTech Global is rising almost 1 percent, while Appen is down 0.2 percent.
Gold miners are mixed after gold prices declined overnight. Evolution Mining is rising 0.4 percent, while Newcrest Mining is down 0.4 percent.
In economic news, the latest survey from IHS Markit showed that the manufacturing sector in Australia continued to expand in September, and at a faster rate, with a manufacturing PMI score of 55.4. That's up from 53.6 in August and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.
Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore and Indonesia are rising more than 1 percent each, while New Zealand is also higher and Malaysia is lower. The markets in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong are closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while South Korea is closed for the Chuseok Festival.
On Wall Street, stocks closed higher on Wednesday in volatile trading amid uncertainty about a potential agreement on a new coronavirus stimulus bill. The pullback by the major averages came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans and Democrats remain "far apart" on a deal. However, stocks rebounded as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed to reach an agreement after a meeting today, but indicated talks would continue.
The Dow jumped 329.04 points or 1.2 percent to 27,781.70, the Nasdaq climbed 82.26 points or 0.7 percent to 11,167.51 and the S&P 500 advanced 27.53 points or 0.8 percent to 3,363.00.
Meanwhile, the major European markets all moved to the downside on Wednesday. While the French CAC 40 Index slid by 0.6 percent, the German DAX Index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index both fell by 0.5 percent.
Crude oil prices rebounded after early weakness on Wednesday as data showed a drop in U.S. crude inventories in the week ended September 25. WTI crude for November added $0.93 or about 2.4 percent at $40.22 a barrel.
Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ: COHU), a global leader in back-end semiconductor equipment and services, today provided a business update and an upward revision to its fiscal third quarter 2020 guidance:
Cohu expects a net neutral to positive impact from the newly introduced U.S. export restrictions to Huawei and expanded list of affiliated companies, as market share and demand is expected to shift to other customers.
Order forecast has improved through third quarter with continued positive customer momentum in mobility and strong demand for Cohu’s RF testers.
Cohu now expects third quarter revenue at the high-end of guidance at approximately $146 million.
The company commenced reduction of the term loan B debt associated with the financing of the Xcerra acquisition in October 2018, recently reducing such debt by $17.3 million.
Luis Müller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cohu, commented, "We are encouraged by our customers’ acceptance and ramp of our RF test solutions, and this drives our increased optimism about near-term business conditions.”
About Cohu:
Cohu is a leading supplier of semiconductor test and inspection handlers, micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) test modules, test contactors and thermal sub-systems used by global semiconductor manufacturers and test subcontractors.
Forward Looking Statements:
Certain statements contained in this release and accompanying materials may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected impact from the newly introduced U.S. export restrictions to Huawei and expanded list of affiliated companies, expected market share and demand shift, order forecast improvements and positive customer momentum in mobility and strong demand for Cohu’s RF testers, increased third quarter revenue forecast to the high-end of guidance at approximately $146 million, ramp of RF test solutions, increased optimism about near-term business conditions, and any other statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as "may,” "will,” "should,” "would,” "expect,” "anticipate,” "plan,” "likely,” "believe,” "estimate,” "project,” "intend,” and other similar expressions among others. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance.
Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and is continuing to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations, and COVID-19 could re-surge at any time and our business could be abruptly impacted again to an even greater extent; Other significant risks associated with the Xcerra acquisition, integration and synergies including the failure to achieve the expected benefits of the acquisition, and mandatory ongoing impairment evaluation of goodwill and other intangibles whereby Cohu could be required to write off some or all of this goodwill and other intangibles; Continued availability of capital and financing and additional rating agency downgrade actions, and limited market access given our high debt levels; Our Credit Agreement contains various representations and negative covenants that limit our business flexibility; Changes to or replacement of LIBOR may adversely affect interest rates; Adverse investor reaction to the recently suspended cash dividend; Other risks associated with acquisitions; inventory, goodwill and other asset write-downs; Our ability to convert new products into production on a timely basis and to support product development and meet customer delivery and acceptance requirements for new products; Lost productivity, project delays and internal control risks due to ongoing employee "work from home” programs; Our reliance on third-party contract manufacturers and suppliers; Failure to obtain customer acceptance resulting in the inability to recognize revenue and accounts receivable collection problems; Market demand and adoption of our new products; Customer orders may be canceled or delayed; Design-wins may or may not result in future orders or sales; The concentration of our revenues from a limited number of customers; Intense competition in the semiconductor equipment industry; Our reliance on patents and intellectual property; Compliance with U.S. export regulations; Impacts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and ongoing tax examinations; Geopolitical issues, trade wars and Huawei/HiSilicon export restrictions (including new restrictions effective in May and August 2020); Retention of key staff; Other health epidemics or natural disasters; ERP system implementation issues particularly as Cohu recently launched a new ERP system in first quarter 2020 and plans a broader rollout in 2020; The seasonal, volatile and unpredictable nature of capital expenditures by semiconductor manufacturers particularly in light of weakened demand in 2019 followed by the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020; and Rapid technological change.
These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully in Cohu’s filings with the SEC, including the most recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and the other filings made by Cohu with the SEC from time to time, which are available via the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by applicable law, Cohu does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200831005725/en/
There are now 11 humans aboard the International Space Station.
NASA
