Asia-Pacific markets traded in a mixed fashion on Thursday as investors balanced upbeat overnight gains on Wall Street with renewed focus on tariff developments and a round of regional economic updates.
By 11:15 am AEST (1:15 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7%, pushing back toward record territory. South Korea’s Kospi 200 also posted a solid performance, gaining 0.8%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6%.
In South Korea, the central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.5%, as widely expected, maintaining its lowest level in nearly three years.
Japan’s producer price index rose 2.9% year-on-year in June, matching expectations but easing from 3.2% in May, while prices declined 0.2% month-on-month, in line with forecasts.
Additionally, Australian economic data showed a slight decline in business activity. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the monthly business turnover indicator fell by 0.1% in May 2025 in seasonally adjusted terms, marking the first decline since October 2024.
U.S. benchmark averages closed higher on Wednesday as investors largely shrugged off tariff concerns and instead focused on strength in technology and AI-related sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, the S&P 500 gained 0.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.9% to a new record close.
In commodities, Brent crude oil added 0.1% to settle at US$70.19 per barrel after hitting multi-week highs during the session. Spot gold rose 0.4% to US$3,313.70 an ounce as traders sought safety amid renewed trade uncertainty.
In China, markets eased from recent highs. The Shanghai Composite dipped 0.1% to 3,493.0, pulling back from eight-month highs, while the CSI 300 index fell 0.2% to 3,991.4.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index underperformed, dropping 1.1% to 23,892.3, while India’s BSE Sensex edged 0.2% lower to 83,536.1.
European markets closed in positive territory overnight. The UK’s FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 8,867.0, Germany’s DAX rallied 1.4% to a record 24,549.6, and France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.4% to 7,878.5.
