Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Monday after a volatile trading week around the world. U.S. stocks — which are expected to open lower on Monday — have been on a roller-coaster ride since the start of the month given uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies — and their impact on the superpower's growth and inflation. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 0.34%, after closing at a six-month high in its previous session. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 started the day flat while the broader Topix index edged down 0.1%. The country's cash earnings rose 2.8%...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.3% to around 3,990, while the broader Topix Index edged up 0.1% to 2,712 on Monday, recovering some losses from the previous session and mirroring Wall Street's gains from Friday. Investors remained cautious as they navigated US President Donald Trump's evolving trade policies and mounting concerns over the US economy. However, a strengthening yen, which surged to a five-month high on safe-haven demand, may limit further upside for Japanese equities. On the data front, Japan posted a current account deficit in January for the first time in two years, as imports...
Equities in Hong Kong slumped 321 points or 1.4% to 23,888 on Monday morning, extending losses from the prior period amid widespread sector declines. Traders reacted to fresh data from China over the weekend, which showed that consumer prices fell the most in 13 months in February, while producer deflation persisted for the 29th consecutive month despite a slower fall. Meanwhile, US futures plummeted, as tariffs on key trading partners, an uptick in jobless rates, and federal workforce job cuts fueled concerns about a potential slowdown in US GDP growth, following months of outperformance...