Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Friday as investors look to U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the central bank's annual economic symposium, which could offer clues into the path of interest rates. South Korea's jumped 1.22% and the small-cap Kosdaq was 0.94% higher. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.1% at the open, while the Topix rose 0.44%. The country's core inflation rate cooled to 3.1% in July, coming down from 3.3% the month before. The figure — which strips out costs for fresh food — was higher than the 3% expected by economists polled by Reuters. Rice...
Japan's equities rose on Friday after data showed inflation in July eased, reinforcing expectations for a potential Bank of Japan rate hike in the coming months. The Nikkei opened slightly higher by 19.64 points to 42,629.81. Japan's inflation in July eased, with the core CPI, which does not count fresh food items, up 3.1% over the same month in the previous year after a 3.3% gain in June, data by Statistics of Japan showed on Friday. Including all items, the reading also moderated to 3.1% compared to 3.3% in June, and marked the lowest since November 2024. Elsewhere, US stocks and bonds...
Hong Kong stocks increased 89 points or 0.3 to 25,191 in early trade on Friday, supported by gains across most sectors. The market rebounded from the prior session's losses despite overnight weakness on Wall Street, as investors cautiously awaited Fed Chair Powell's speech at Jackson Hole. Sentiment also improved on hopes of fresh stimulus from Beijing after China's economy slowed in July. Starting in September, the Chinese government will launch a one-year consumer loan subsidy program, covering 90% of interest costs, with local authorities funding the rest. Locally, Hong Kong's annual...