Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly lower on Monday, as investors remained cautious ahead of the looming April 2 tariff deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump.
By 11:55 am AEDT (12:55 am GMT) Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up by 0.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 eased 0.1%.
The three major U.S. averages closed higher on Friday, with a recovery from their lows after Trump indicated “flexibility” on tariffs, although he reiterated the April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 32 points, or 0.1%, to settle at 41,985.4. The S&P 500 gained 0.1%, closing at 5,667.6, ending a four-week streak of declines that were driven by trade policy concerns, recession fears, and a downturn in mega-cap tech stocks. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.5% to 17,784.1.
In commodities, Brent crude added 0.2%, reaching US$72.16 per barrel, close to three-week highs, while spot gold prices eased 0.7% to trade at $3,023.99 per ounce.
Chinese equities showed mixed results. The Shanghai Composite fell 1.3% to 3,364.8, and the CSI 300 dropped 1.5% to 3,914.7.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slid 2.2% to 24,689.7, while India’s BSE Sensex gained 0.7%, closing at 76,905.5.
European markets finished lower, with the FTSE 100 falling 0.6% to 8,646.8, the DAX slipping 0.5% to 22,891.7, and the CAC 40 down 0.6% to 8,043.0.
