Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Thursday as South Korea’s central bank prepares to announce its interest rate decision.
By 11:40 am AEDT (1:40 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 had gained 0.4% to 8,856.80 points and South Korea’s Kospi 200 had risen 0.1% to 686.53 while Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.9% to 53,855.99.
The Bank of Korea is likely to keep rates unchanged at 2.50% today, Reuters-polled economists forecast. It has held rates steady at its past four meetings.
South Korea’s consumer price index rose by 2.1% in 2025, near the Bank of Korea’s target rate of 2%.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party will dissolve the House of Representatives next week and call a snap election, the party’s secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki said yesterday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is aiming to hold the election on 8 February, according to Reuters.
India will release balance of trade and unemployment rate data for December later today.
In the United States, the S&P 500 shed 0.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1% on Wednesday.
Brent crude prices fell 1.4% to US$64.55 per barrel. Spot gold was up 0.7% to $4,620.60 per ounce, and reached all-time highs of $4,641.40 earlier in U.S. trading.
The Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to 4,126.09. The CSI 300 was down 0.3% to 4,741.93.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lifted 0.6% to 26,999.81, while India’s BSE Sensex shed 0.3% to 83,382.71.
European markets were mixed, with the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 up 0.5% to 10,184.35, Germany’s DAX down 0.5% to 25,286.24 and France’s CAC 40 off by 0.2% to 8,330.97.
