On Wednesday morning (22 January, 9:39 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in Asia Pacific traded mixed as investors digested President Donald Trump’s recent comments about imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, as he noted the possibility of the imposition if Beijing doesn’t approve a TikTok deal. The tariff could potentially be enacted as early as February 1.
President Trump also hinted at imposing tariffs of 25% on Mexico and Canada, citing concerns over their border policies. This announcement came as he signed a series of executive orders on his first day in the White House on Monday night.
Japan’s NIKKEI jumped by 1.45% to 39,595.09. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.76% to 2,537.09, and Australia’s ASX 200 grew by 0.47% to 8,441.5.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC dropped by 0.98% to 3,210.69. Hong Kong’s HSI fell by 1.52% to 19,800.17, and Shenzhen’s SZI contracted by 1.26% to 10,175.95.
Meanwhile, the US stock markets edged up on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged by 1.24% to 44,025.81. NASDAQ expanded by 0.64% to 19,756.78, S&P 500 gained 0.88% to 6,049.24. VIX plummeted by 4.74% to 15.06.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a national energy emergency, triggering worries about a potential surge in U.S. output in a market already anticipated to be oversupplied in 2025. Brent futures lost 86 cents or 1.1% to $79.29 a barrel, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) decreased $1.99 or 2.6% to $75.89 per barrel.
This morning, Brent futures slid 8 cents or 0.1% to $79.21 a barrel, while the WTI remained unchanged at $75.89 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures climbed 0.14% to $2,763 per Troy ounce.
