Major Asia-Pacific markets retreated on Friday following losses in United States technology stocks and fading hopes of a December rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
By 11:50 am AEDT (12:50 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 had declined 1.3%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 dropped 3.3%.
Tech conglomerate SoftBank tumbled 8.3% amid regional losses, with Advantest down 10%, and Tokyo Electron retreating 5%.
In South Korea, Kospi heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell 4.3% and 8.1%, respectively.
On the data front, South Korea’s Producer Price Index rose 0.2% month-on-month in October 2025 and 1.5% year-on-year, up from 1.2% previously.
In Japan, core inflation hit 3% in October, its sharpest pace since July, in line with expectations, bolstering the case for continued Bank of Japan rate hikes.
Headline inflation also climbed to 3%, marking 43 consecutive months above the BOJ’s 2% target, while “core-core” inflation, excluding fresh food and energy, nudged up to 3.1% from 3% in September.
Japan’s exports in October exceeded expectations, rising 3.6% year-on-year versus a forecasted 1.1%.
Exports to Asia grew 4.2% and shipments to Western Europe surged 8.8%, offsetting a 2.7% decline to North America.
Imports rose 0.7%, defying forecasts of a fall.
In the United States, major benchmarks fell on Thursday, with the Dow down 0.8%, the S&P 500 off 1.6%, and the Nasdaq 100 sliding 2.2%.
Commodities were mixed, as Brent crude lost 0.2% to US$63.38 per barrel, while spot gold remained steady at US$4,077.54 per ounce.
In China, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.4% to 3,931.1, and the CSI 300 dropped 0.5% to 4,564.9.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index finished flat at two-week lows of 25,835.6, while India’s BSE Sensex climbed 0.5% to multi-month highs of 85,632.7.
European markets rebounded slightly, snapping a five-session losing streak. The FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 9,527.7, Germany’s DAX added 0.5% to 23,278.9, and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3% to 7,981.1.
