Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Wednesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 leading regional gains after United States President Donald Trump confirmed a “massive Deal” with Japan that set reciprocal tariffs of 15% on Japanese exports to the U.S.
By 11:30 am AEST (1:30 am GMT), Japan’s Nikkei 225 had surged 2.5%, buoyed by a sharp rally in automotive stocks.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.3%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 edged 0.2% lower.
Japanese carmakers rallied following the news, with Honda jumping 8.7%, Toyota surging 11.7%, Nissan climbing 8.9%, Mazda Motor advancing 17%, and Mitsubishi Motors popped 12.4%.
South Korean carmakers also benefited from positive sentiment. Hyundai rose 6.5%, while Kia climbed 7.2%.
The regional moves came after a mixed session on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%, while the S&P 500 added 0.1% to close at another all-time high. In contrast, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.4%.
In commodities, Brent crude fell 0.9% to US$68.59 per barrel, while spot gold rose 1% to a multi-month high of US$3,431.56 per ounce as demand for safe-haven assets increased.
Chinese equities extended recent gains. The Shanghai Composite added 0.6% to reach a nine-month high of 3,581.9, and the CSI 300 rose 0.8% to 4,119.0.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index advanced 0.5%, continuing its climb four-year highs to close at 25,130.0. India’s BSE Sensex was little changed, hovering at 82,186.8.
In Europe overnight, markets were mixed. The UK’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% to a fresh record of 9,023.8. However, Germany’s DAX fell 1.1% to 24,041.9 and France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.7% to 7,744.4.
