Asian Markets

Asian Markets
APAC in retreat as US-China trade tensions flare
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Monday as tensions between the United States and China escalated, prompting investors to reassess risk exposure. China stated on Sunday that it “is not afraid of” a trade war with the United States, following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose punitive new tariffs on Chinese imports. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the U.S. of a double standard after Trump announced additional 100% tariffs in response to Beijing’s new export controls on rare earth minerals. Trump also posted on Truth Social: “Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine! Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I,” Trump wrote. “The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it.” By 12 pm AEDT (1 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 had fallen 0.5%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 shed 1.2%, retreating from Friday’s record close. Japan’s Nikkei 225 remained closed for a public holiday. In the United States on Friday, major benchmarks ended the session lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 1.9%, the S&P 500 falling 2.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite retreating 3.6%. Commodity markets also reflected risk-off sentiment. B
Asian Markets
APAC markets mixed; Japan's PPI tops forecasts
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street as investors weighed the global economic outlook. By 12:30 pm AEDT (12:30 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index was flat, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% from record highs earlier this week. South Korea’s Kospi 200 rose 1.7% to a fresh record high of 3,610.4. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 1% to 26,479.3, while China’s CSI 300 gained 1.3%, rebounding after the Golden Week holiday to trade at its highest level since 18 August 2015. Economic data from Japan showed that the producer price index (PPI) rose 2.7% year-on-year in September, according to the Bank of Japan. The reading matched August’s pace but exceeded market expectations of 2.5%. On a monthly basis, producer prices rose 0.3%, reversing a 0.2% decline in August. On Wall Street overnight, major United States benchmarks ended lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.5%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite edged down 0.1%. In commodities, Brent crude fell 1.6% to US$65.22 per barrel, while spot gold declined 1.6% to US$3,976.24 per ounce after reaching record highs earlier in the week. Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 0.
Asian Markets
APAC trades in the green as Nikkei 225 surges to record
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher on Thursday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 hitting another record high as sentiment was boosted amid fresh record highs on Wall Street overnight. By 11:35 am AEDT (12:35 pm GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.3%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.2% to a fresh record. South Korean markets remained closed for a public holiday, while mainland Chinese markets are set to reopen today after the Golden Week break. Among individual companies, SoftBank shares surged 11% after the Japanese conglomerate announced plans to acquire ABB’s robotics division for US$5.375 billion (A$8.18 billion), expanding its global AI ambitions. The latest data from the Melbourne Institute showed that consumer inflation expectations continued to climb in October. “The expected inflation rate (30-per-cent trimmed mean measure) rose by 0.1 percentage points in October to 4.8 per cent. Inflation expectations have increased materially in the past two months. "Expected wage growth also rose this month, although it remains close to its long-term average,” the Institute said. Overnight in the United States, major benchmarks finished mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average held steady, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq C
Asian Markets
APAC trades mixed; World Bank lifts growth outlook
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
Asian Markets
Markets: APAC benchmarks mixed, Japan leads gains
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 leading regional gains as investors cheered a major deal between OpenAI and AMD, which was seen as one of the most direct competitive moves against chipmaking rival Nvidia. By 11:35 am AEDT (12:35 pm GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.6%. Markets in China, Hong Kong, and South Korea remained shut for public holidays. In Japan, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs showed that household spending rose at a faster pace than expected in August, increasing 0.6% month-on-month compared with forecasts for a 0.1% rise. Spending jumped 2.3% year-on-year, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase and beating the median market forecast for a 1.2% rise. In Australia, sentiment weakened as the Westpac–Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index fell 3.5% to 92.1 in October from 95.4 in September. Westpac’s head of Australian macro forecasting Matthew Hassan said: “Consumers appear to have been rattled by recent updates on inflation. ‘Partial’ measures released over the last month suggest annual inflation has lifted back towards the top of the RBA’s 2–3% target range. "This news, and signs of firmer con

Asian Markets
Equities bulls charge through APAC
Asia-Pacific (APAC) share markets were buoyant on Monday with the Australian market hitting a new record high and all others except Hong Kong trading higher in early trade. As of 11:15am AEDT (12:15 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index was up by 0.27% at 9,011.23 points after earlier hitting a record high of 9,026.4, beating the previous peak of 9,019.1 reached on 21 August 2025. The mood was set in the United States on Friday where two of the three benchmarks finished higher as investors continued to build in expectations of lower interest rates despite a continued government shutdown. On other APAC bourses outside China, India’s BSE Sensex was 0.28% higher at 81,207.17 points, South Korea’s Kospi 200 had gained 2.7% to 3,549.21 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 was 4.26% higher at 47,717.42. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite was up 0.52% to 3,882.77 points and the CSI 300 had gained 0.45% to 4,640.69 but in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index dropped 0.54% to 27,140.92 European share markets were mixed on Friday with the UK’s FTSE 100 ending up by 0.7% at 9,491.25 and France’s CAC 40 closing 0.3% higher to 8,081.54 but Germany’s DAX finishing 0.2% lower at 24,378.80. Gold rose 0.5% to US$3,904.17 per ounce while Brent
Asian Markets
APAC benchmarks rise; Nikkei 225 rallies 1.6%
Asian-Pacific equities traded higher on Friday, mirroring Wall Street’s record-setting session overnight, as investors looked past the ongoing United States government shutdown and focused on regional data. By midday in Sydney, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.6%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 remained closed for a public holiday. Among data releases, Japanese jobs data showed unemployment rose to 2.6% in August, exceeding forecasts of 2.4% and up from 2.3% in July. Australia’s service sector continued to expand in September, coming in at 52.4, according to S&P Global. The survey showed new business growth slowed but remained above average, while jobs growth accelerated to a five-month high and inflationary pressures eased. Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4%, all notching fresh record closes. While shutdown concerns linger, markets have so far taken the political stalemate in stride, consistent with historical trends. In commodities, Brent crude fell for the fourth straight session, down 1.9% to settle at multi-month lows of US$64.11 per barrel. Spot gold slipped 0.2% to US$3,
Asian Markets
APAC markets climb; Kospi hits record as tech surges
Asia-Pacific equities advanced on Thursday, taking their cue from fresh record highs on Wall Street, with South Korean technology stocks leading the rally after a landmark deal with OpenAI. By midday in Sydney (2 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.1%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 surged 3% to a record peak. Samsung Electronics rose more than 4% and SK Hynix jumped over 10% after both companies announced late Wednesday that they would supply memory chips for OpenAI’s new Stargate data centres. On the data front, South Korea’s consumer price index climbed 2.1% year-on-year in September, above market forecasts of 2% and up from August’s 1.7% increase. In Australia, the trade surplus narrowed sharply, with the seasonally adjusted goods balance falling A$4.787 billion to $1.825 billion in August, according to fresh figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Exports declined $3.552 billion, or 7.8%, driven by lower non-monetary gold shipments, while imports rose $1.235 billion, or 3.2%, on higher consumption goods. Additionally, the ABS monthly household spending indicator edged up 0.1% after a 0.5% gain in July. “Households spent more on booking airline travel and accomm
Asian Markets
Markets: APAC mixed as US govt shutdown looms
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed economic data from Japan and South Korea against the prospect of a United States government shutdown, with Wall Street’s overnight rally offering some support. By 11:25 am AEST (1:25 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.9%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 advanced 0.7%. Japan’s Tankan survey of large manufacturers showed business sentiment rising to +14 in September, up from +13 in June and marking its strongest level since December 2024. The reading narrowly missed forecasts of +15. South Korea’s trade balance swung to a surplus of US$9.56 billion in September, the largest since September 2018 and well above August’s $6.51 billion. Exports climbed 12.7% from a year earlier to $65.95 billion, exceeding expectations for a 7.2% rise. Imports rose 8.2% to $56.40 billion, the sharpest increase in more than a year after a 4.1% decline in August, and beating expectations of a 5.6% increase. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks finished higher on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.2% to another record close, the S&P 500 gaining 0.4% and the Nasdaq rising 0.3%. In commodities, Brent crude slipped 1.6% to US$66

Asian Markets

APAC in retreat as US-China trade tensions flare

APAC markets mixed; Japan's PPI tops forecasts

APAC trades in the green as Nikkei 225 surges to record

APAC trades mixed; World Bank lifts growth outlook

Markets: APAC benchmarks mixed, Japan leads gains

Equities bulls charge through APAC

APAC benchmarks rise; Nikkei 225 rallies 1.6%

APAC markets climb; Kospi hits record as tech surges

Markets: APAC mixed as US govt shutdown looms