People walking through the neon lit night streets of Sinchon in the heart of Seoul, South Korea’s vibrant capital city.
Fotovoyager | E+ | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday, after Wall Street rose overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plan, but did not enact the levies immediately.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 Index ended the day 0.87% higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index traded up 3.48% in its final hour, extending gains from the previous session. The HSI is on track to its highest weekly gain since October.
South Korea’s Kospi closed up 0.31% at 2,591.05, while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 0.94% to end the day at 756.32.
The country’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 2.9% in January, easing from its three-year high of 3.7% in the month before.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 ended the day 0.79% lower at 39,149.43, while the broader Topix index lost 0.23% to close at 2,759.21.
India’s benchmark Nifty 50 lost 0.82%, while the BSE Sensex index was down 0.83% in choppy trading as at 1.p.m. local time.
The South Asian country’s wholesale inflation grew 2.31% in January year on year, slightly lower than the 2.5% rise estimated by economists in a Reuters poll.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.19% higher at 8,555.80.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore’s economy expanded by 4.4% in 2024, its fastest growth since 2021, data from the Ministry of Trade and Industry shows. GDP was up 5% year on year in the fourth-quarter of 2024, surpassing the 4.7% growth rate expected by Reuters.
Investors have been watching the city-state’s Straits Times Index which hit an all-time high at the start of the week. It was trading 0.19% lower in its last hour of trade.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s economy grew 5.1% in 2024, data from Bank Negara shows. Its GDP expanded 5% in the last quarter of the year, better than the 4.8% estimated by Reuters.
