Asia-Pacific markets opened in negative territory on Friday as investor sentiment remained fragile amid concerns over a slowing United States economy and renewed uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy.
By 11 am AEST (1 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 had slipped 0.2%, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 eased 0.3%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 posted the steepest loss, falling 1.4%.
In Japan, Tokyo’s core consumer price index rose 3.4% year-on-year in April, while unemployment held steady at 2.5%, and industrial production declined 0.9%, which was better than the 1.4% drop forecast.
Retail sales increased 0.5% month-on-month and 3.3% compared to a year ago.
South Korea also reported economic data, with both industrial production and retail sales falling 0.9% on a monthly basis, further dampening regional sentiment.
The downturn across Asia followed modest gains overnight on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each advanced 0.4%. Still, investors remained cautious amid lingering unease over U.S. President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariff policies, which have stirred fresh legal and economic debate.
In commodities, Brent crude declined 1.5% to US$63.35 per barrel, while spot gold climbed 0.8% to US$3,317.62 per ounce as investors sought safe-haven assets.
Despite the regional weakness, Chinese markets posted gains. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 3,363.4, and the CSI 300 advanced 0.6% to 3,858.7. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index also rallied, adding 1.4% to 23,573.4, while India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.4% to 81,633.0.
European markets opened softer, mirroring global caution. The FTSE 100 edged down 0.1% to 8,716.5, Germany’s DAX slipped 0.4% to 23,933.2, and France’s CAC 40 declined 0.1% to 7,779.7.
