Asia-Pacific markets rose Friday, tracking Wall Street gains overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plans, but did not enact the levies on them immediately.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.76% higher, after hitting a intra-day record in the previous session.Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 started the day down 0.15%, while the broader Topix index was up 0.31%.South Korea's Kospi opened 0.14% higher while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 0.74%.The country's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 2.9% in January, easing from its three-year high of...
The Nikkei 225 Index declined 0.4% to around 39,300 on Friday, ending a three-day rally as the yen sharply rebounded overnight. The currency's rise followed expectations of a softer US PCE inflation reading and a delay in President Trump's reciprocal tariffs. A stronger yen typically weighs on Japan's export-driven industries and makes Japanese assets pricier for foreign investors. Meanwhile, investors continued to navigate Japan's busy earnings season, which has yielded mixed results so far. Notable losses were seen in index heavyweights such as IHI Corp (-2.2%), Fast Retailing (-1.1%), and...
The Hang Seng Index opened higher, rising 212 points or 0.97%, to reach 22,027 points. The China Enterprises Index climbed 80 points, or 1%, to 8,083, while the Tech Index advanced 75 points, or 1.43%, to 5,310.Technology stocks posted strong performances, with gains across major players. Tencent rose 1.7%, Alibaba edged up 0.1%, Meituan gained 1.4%, Xiaomi rose 1.8%, JD.com climbed 2.3%, and Kuaishou surged 3.3%.Financial stocks also provided significant support to the market. HSBC advanced 0.4%, AIA rose 1.7%, Ping An Insurance increased by 1.2%, and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing...