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 Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.69% to 45,044 while the broader Topix Index sank 1.74% to 3,132 on Monday, extending losses for a second day as many Japanese stocks traded ex-dividend and investors braced for a heavy data calendar that could clarify the economic outlook. Key releases include the Tankan business sentiment survey, consumer confidence, industrial production, retail sales and the latest Bank of Japan Summary of Opinions. Minutes from the BOJ's July meeting indicated policymakers remain open to further tightening if growth and inflation trend as expected. Financial and consumer...
The Hang Seng Index opened higher, gaining 193 points to reach 26,321, and is currently up 313 points or 1.2%, standing at 26,442. The China Enterprises Index rose by 89 points or 0.95% to 9,392, while the Tech Index increased by 86 points or 1.4%, reaching 6,281. The main board recorded a turnover of HK$82 billion. Technology stocks saw broad-based gains. Tencent climbed 1.9%, Alibaba surged 2.8%, and Meituan rose 1.7%. However, Xiaomi Group slipped slightly by 0.4%. JD.com advanced 2.1%, and Kuaishou experienced the largest gain in the sector, rising 3.2%. Financial stocks also performed...
The Japanese stock market opened lower at the start of this week. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.8% to 45,009.28, dragged down by a sell-off in high-dividend stocks that began trading ex-dividend today. The greatest pressure came from Komatsu, which fell 3.8%, Kawasaki Kisen, which fell 4%, and Dai-ichi Life, which fell 3.3%. This decline is quite common when large stocks pass their ex-dividend date, as investors targeting dividends have already exited their positions. However, the weakness was felt more deeply because dividend stocks typically carry a large weighting in the index. In terms...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday, while the Reserve Bank of Australia will kickstart its two-day policy meeting where it is expected to hold its cash rate steady at 3.6%, according to a Reuters poll. "The RBA are likely to find themselves in a tougher position than recent meetings. There is real tension building in the data flow," the Commonwealth Bank of Australia wrote in a note, citing how the country's August CPI indicates "material upside risks to Q3 inflation" as well as a a cyclical upswing in the activity data. However, CBA's economists also pointed to signs of softer...
US stocks closed higher on Friday (September 26th), as investors reacted positively to an inflation report that met expectations, while also considering President Trump's new wave of tariffs and weakening consumer sentiment. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.4%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300 points, all ending a three-session losing streak. The August PCE Index, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, showed core inflation at 2.9% year-on-year, supporting expectations for two quarter-point interest rate cuts in the upcoming meeting. Boeing (+3.6%) and...