Asia-Pacific stock markets are expected to open mixed on Friday, marking a cautious start to the new year. This movement follows the New Year's Eve close of US markets, where the three major Wall Street indexes weakened, although overall they still posted positive performance for 2025. Several major Asian markets remain closed for the New Year holiday, including Japan and mainland China. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index opened relatively stable with no major movements. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures were at 25,648, slightly higher than the last close of 25,630.54,...
The Hang Seng fell 184 points, or 0.7%, to close at 25,635 on Monday, reversing modest gains from the previous session, as markets entered the final trading week of 2025. Early strength was erased after sentiment turned sour amid renewed geopolitical tensions, following China's large-scale military drills around Taiwan. Sentiment was further weighed by China data, where profits at industrial firms fell the highest over a year in November, due to persistently weak domestic demand. All sectors retreated, with property and consumers among the biggest laggards, even as Beijing renewed its...
The Nikkei 225 lost 315 points, or 0.6%, to close at 50,376 on Monday, reversing the prior session's gains as trading thinned ahead of year-end holidays. Sentiment turned cautious after China staged large-scale military drills around Taiwan under its "Justice Mission 2025" exercise. Investors also pared risk ahead of Tuesday's release of minutes from the U.S. Fed's latest meeting. Earlier this month, the Fed cut rates but signaled a more cautious easing path, projecting only one more cut next year. Major laggards included Advantest Corp. (-2.3%), Daikin Industries (-2.0%), Japan Tobacco...
Hong Kong stocks rose 213 points, or 0.8%, to 26,025 on Monday morning, extending their gains for a second session as market participants opened the final week of 2025. The Hang Seng Index also hovered near a three-week high, with gains across many sectors. Sentiment was also boosted by the Shanghai market, where the benchmark index recorded a ninth straight day of gains on Monday—its longest streak since April. On the policy front, Beijing signaled on Sunday that it would be more proactive fiscally next year, focusing on domestic demand, technological innovation, and social...
Global stocks held near record levels, while silver briefly hit a new peak before breaking its closing high amid quiet holiday trading. Asian stock indicators rose 0.2% in early trading, while US stock futures held steady after the S&P 500 closed near its all-time high on Friday. Silver briefly rallied 6% and broke through $80 per share for the first time, but then reversed its gains and fell more than 2%. "We are witnessing a generational bubble unfolding in silver," wrote IG Australia analyst Tony Sycamore on Sunday, highlighting the strong speculative drive and extreme price...
Japanese stocks weakened in quiet trading amid uncertainty about the economic outlook and the strength of corporate earnings performance going forward. The electronics sector led the declines, primarily due to pressure. At 00:32 GMT, the Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.2% to 50,630.94. Market movements were said to remain fragile as investors weighed the risks of an economic slowdown and potential pressure on corporate earnings. At the stock level, several names in the technology/electronics sector weighed. Kioxia Holdings fell 2.8%, while Canon Inc. fell 1.9%, reflecting weakening interest in...