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Asian Markets
APAC markets fall as US-Iran tensions weigh
Asia-Pacific markets opened the week broadly lower on Monday as investors assessed renewed tensions in the Middle East after Iran targeted U.S. facilities across several Gulf countries over the weekend and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. U.S. President Donald Trump disputed the claim on Sunday. In comments given during a telephone interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press programme, saying the key shipping route remained open to commercial traffic, but concerns over a potential escalation in the conflict weighed on regional sentiment. By 12:00 pm AEST (2:00 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.3% lower, Japan's Nikkei 225 had declined 1.7%, and South Korea's KOSPI 200 dropped 5.4%. Wall Street provided a stronger lead on Friday, with major U.S. benchmarks finishing higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.3%. In commodities, ICE Brent crude futures eased 0.4% on Friday to settle at US$76.01 a barrel, while spot gold declined 0.3% to finish at $4,111.51 an ounce. Chinese equities ended lower on Friday, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 1% to 3,996.2 and the CSI 300 declining 2% to 4,780.8. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index
Asian Markets
APAC markets rise as chip rally lifts Kospi over 4%
Asian-Pacific markets advanced on Friday as investors focused on renewed strength in semiconductor stocks, largely overlooking a fresh escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.2%, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 2.1%, and South Korea's KOSPI 200 surged 4.5%. South Korean memory-chip giant SK Hynix rose 1.5% ahead of its highly anticipated Nasdaq debut during Friday's U.S. trading session, while Japan's semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 4%, SoftBank surged 11.4%. The broader semiconductor rally continued to support regional equities, with investors betting that strong artificial intelligence demand and robust chip earnings can extend gains across technology markets. Among economic data releases, Japan's corporate goods prices accelerated in June at the fastest pace since early 2023, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan may continue raising interest rates. The producer price index (PPI), which measures input prices for Japanese businesses, increased 7.1% year-on-year in June, according to the Bank of Japan. The figure exceeded market expectations for a 6.8% increase, while May's reading was revised higher. On a monthly basis, corpor
Asian Markets
APAC markets mixed as M.East tensions lift oil
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Thursday as renewed tensions between the United States and Iran pushed oil prices higher and weighed on investor sentiment. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.6%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.9% and South Korea's KOSPI 200 rebounded 2.5%. Investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East after the U.S. launched further strikes against Iran following attacks on commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation pushed crude prices higher and raised concerns over renewed inflationary pressures. Meanwhile, economic data from China showed consumer prices continued to recover in June. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.0% year-on-year, slowing slightly from a 1.2% increase in May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China. The result was below market expectations for a 1.1% gain. On a monthly basis, Chinese CPI fell 0.3% in June after declining 0.1% in May, compared with forecasts for a 0.2% decline. The producer price index (PPI) increased 4.1% year-on-year in June, accelerating from a 3.9% rise in May and matching market expectations. On Wall Street overnight, U.S. benchmarks closed mixed as inves
Asian Markets
APAC markets open lower despite Wall St gains
Asia-Pacific markets traded broadly lower early Tuesday, diverging from Wall Street after the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached another record high overnight. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.04%, Japan's Nikkei 225 had fallen 0.9%, while South Korea's KOSPI 200 tumbled 4.4%. Samsung Electronics shares dropped 6.9% despite reporting preliminary second-quarter operating profit of 89.4 trillion won (US$58.4 billion), up from 57.2 trillion won in the previous quarter. In Japan, household spending data delivered mixed signals. Consumer spending by households with two or more people fell 0.4% year-on-year in May. However, on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, household expenditure rose 3.7%, accelerating from a revised 1.3% increase in April and comfortably exceeding market expectations for a 1.4% rise. On Wall Street overnight, major U.S. benchmarks finished higher as investors rotated back into technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% to a fresh record high, the S&P 500 gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.1%. In commodity markets, Brent crude settled 0.2% lower at US$71.99 a barrel, while spot gold eased 0.2% to US$4,164.32 an ounce. Chinese
Asian Markets
APAC markets mixed; tech stocks uneven in early deals
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Monday as investors reassessed artificial intelligence-driven investments and looked ahead to the release of the Federal Reserve's June meeting minutes later this week. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, Japan's Nikkei 225 had fallen 0.5%, while South Korea's KOSPI 200 gained 0.5%. Regional technology stocks saw mixed movements in early trade, with Korea's Samsung Electronics up 2.1%, and Japan's Tokyo Electron down 1.8%. The early moves follow another strong week on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed nearly 2% to finish within reach of the 53,000-point milestone for the first time. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also posted weekly gains of 1.8% and 2.1%, respectively. Attention now turns to the Federal Reserve, with investors awaiting the release of minutes from the central bank's June policy meeting on Wednesday (Thursday AEST). The meeting was the first chaired by Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh and is expected to provide further insight into policymakers' outlook for inflation, interest rates and economic growth. U.S. equity markets were closed on Friday for the Independence Day public holiday. In

Asian Markets
APAC shares rise despite US tech sector weakness
Asia-Pacific equities traded broadly higher on Friday, with investors looking beyond weaker technology stocks after a mixed session on Wall Street, where semiconductor shares remained under pressure despite the Dow Jones reaching another record high. By 12:00 pm AEST, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 had climbed 1.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.6%, while South Korea's KOSPI 200 led regional advances with a 2.7% rise. The gains followed a mixed overnight performance in the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1% to a fresh record closing high, while the S&P 500 finished little changed. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8% as investors continued rotating out of semiconductor stocks. Commodity markets were mixed following weaker-than-expected U.S. employment data, which reduced expectations of further interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve. ICE Brent crude futures rose 0.3% to settle at US$71.80 a barrel after earlier falling to their lowest level since 27 February, while spot gold jumped 2.3% to settle at US$4,121.86 an ounce. Chinese equities underperformed regional peers on Thursday, with the Shanghai SSE Composite Index falling 2% to 4,028.9, while the CSI 300 dropped 3% to 4,812.3.
Asian Markets
APAC markets trade lower as chip stocks retreat
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly lower on Thursday as investors rotated out of semiconductor stocks, extending a technology-led sell-off that weighed on Wall Street overnight. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 had fallen 1.2%, while South Korea's KOSPI 200 dropped 3.1%. Technology stocks led the declines across the region, with Samsung Electronics tumbling 5.3% and SK Hynix sliding 7% as Asia's largest chipmakers came under pressure following profit-taking in the global semiconductor sector. Among data releases, South Korea's annual inflation rate accelerated to 3.2% in June, matching market expectations and marking the fourth consecutive month of rising inflation. The reading was the highest since December 2023 and strengthened expectations that the Bank of Korea could raise interest rates at its next policy meeting on 16 July. In Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported the seasonally adjusted balance on goods deteriorated by A$4.401 billion to a deficit of $3.018 billion in May, well below market expectations for a $2.2 billion surplus. The decline was driven by a $3.224 billion, or 6.9%, fall in goods exports, led by lower shipment
Asian Markets
APAC markets mixed; Japan business sentiment improves
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday, with sentiment broadly supported by a strong finish to the United States quarter, even as regional indices diverged amid mixed domestic data and sector-specific weakness. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.3%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.7%, while South Korea’s KOSPI 200 fell 1.8%. In Japan, business sentiment among large manufacturers improved to its strongest level in more than six years, according to the Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey. The index rose to 22 from 17 in the previous quarter, beating expectations of 16 in a Reuters poll, signalling improving confidence among domestic firms. South Korea, meanwhile, reported a surge in exports, with shipments rising 70.9% year-on-year in June to $102.25 billion. The increase marked the strongest growth since October 1978 and was driven by a sharp jump in semiconductor exports amid continued global demand linked to artificial intelligence investment. In Australia, construction data showed the total number of building approvals fell 1.1% in May to 17,019, against market expectations for a 1% rise. “The fall in total dwellings approved was driven by a 10.4 per cent fall in private
Asian Markets
APAC markets mixed; US-Iran developments in focus
Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed on Tuesday as investors assessed regional economic data and higher oil prices following an agreement between Iran and the United States to pause recent hostilities in the Middle East. By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was broadly unchanged, up just 0.03%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.4%, while South Korea’s KOSPI 200 slipped 0.4%. In South Korea, Industrial production fell 0.3% in May from April, extending a two-month run of monthly declines, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Retail sales, however, showed a modest rebound over the same period, increasing 0.1%. In Japan, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.5% in May, government data showed, as fewer workers left their jobs following the end of the annual hiring cycle. Separately, industrial production increased 0.5% from the previous month, expectations of a 1.1% gain. On an annual basis, output fell 1.7%. The Reserve Bank of Australia released minutes from its June monetary policy meeting, noting that global financial conditions had eased since the previous meeting as progress emerged toward resolving the Middle East conflict. However, policymakers warned that weak produc