Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher on Monday as investors reacted to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s announcement that he will step down and monitored regional economic data.
By 11:40 am AEST (1:40 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.2%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.8%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 rose 0.4%.
Japanese gross domestic product (GDP) for April-June was revised upward to an annualised 2.2% growth from the previous quarter, surpassing the preliminary reading of 1.0%, Cabinet Office data showed.
Japan’s current account surplus fell to JP¥2,684.3 billion in July 2025, down from ¥3,319.7 billion a year earlier and below market expectations of ¥3,366 billion.
In the United States last Friday, major benchmarks closed lower despite trading at fresh intraday record highs, with the Dow down 0.5%, the S&P 500 falling 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite edging down 0.03%.
In commodities, Brent crude dropped 2.2% to US$66.99 per barrel, marking its lowest close since 6 June, while spot gold surged 1.2% to a record US$3,586.55 per ounce.
Chinese equities advanced, with the Shanghai Composite rising 1.2% to 3,812.5 and the CSI 300 gaining 2.2% to 4,467.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.4% to 25,418.0, while India’s BSE Sensex remained flat at 80,710.8.
European markets closed Thursday in the red, with the FTSE 100 down 0.1% at 9,208.2, the DAX slipping 0.7% to 23,597.0, and the CAC 40 losing 0.3% to 7,674.8.
