Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday, diverging from overnight losses on Wall Street, after the World Bank raised its growth forecast for the region, signalling resilience despite global trade uncertainty.
By 11:35 am AEDT (12:35 pm GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.4%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged 0.1% higher.
Markets in South Korea and China remained closed due to public holidays.
In regional economic data, Japan reported a current account surplus of ¥3.776 trillion for August, down 4.8% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The figure exceeded expectations for a ¥3.540 trillion surplus and was up from ¥2.684 trillion in July.
Imports fell 6% to ¥8.253 trillion, while exports rose 0.4% to ¥8.359 trillion, resulting in a trade surplus of ¥105.9 billion.
Meanwhile, the World Bank on Tuesday upgraded its 2025 growth forecast for China, raising its projection to 4.8% from April’s estimate of 4%.
The revision brings the outlook closer to Beijing’s official target of around 5% GDP growth, following a summer of U.S. tariff-driven uncertainty that disrupted global trade.
The World Bank also raised its overall forecast for East Asia and the Pacific, citing stronger domestic demand and improving financial conditions.
On Wall Street overnight, the major indexes ended lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%, the S&P 500 lost 0.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.7%.
In commodities, Brent crude was little changed, settling at US$65.45 per barrel.
Gold extended its record rally, with spot prices up 0.6% to US$3,984.33 per ounce and gold futures closing at a record US$4,004.40 per ounce.
Elsewhere in the region, India’s BSE Sensex gained 0.2% to 81,926.8 on Tuesday, while Hong Kong’s market remained closed for a public holiday.
In Europe, trading was subdued, with the FTSE 100 rising 0.1% to 9,483.6, the DAX holding steady at 24,385.8, and France’s CAC 40 finishing flat at 7,974.9.
