Asia-Pacific markets exhibited a mixed performance on Monday, as investors weighed new stimulus efforts from China alongside progress in trade talks between the U.S. and regional economies. Chinese officials are expected to address these issues in a press conference scheduled for later today.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 showed a positive trend, rising by 0.80% this morning. In China, the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.21%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index decreased by 0.29%. South Korea’s Kospi index climbed 0.27%. In Australia, the ASX 200 index increased by 0.79%.
Investors are also focused on the trade dialogue between the U.S. and Asia-Pacific nations. According to Bloomberg, U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that further pauses in his “reciprocal tariffs” are unlikely.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 concluded last Friday’s trading session with a 0.74% gain, finishing at 5,525.21. The Dow Jones Industrial Average registered a slight increase of 0.05%, moving up 20 points to settle at 40,113.50. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.26% to close at 17,282.94.
Even as oil prices inched up on Friday, they recorded a weekly decline due to fears of an oversupply and ambiguity surrounding the U.S.-China tariff discussions. Brent crude futures went up by 32 cents to $66.87 per barrel, ending the week with a 1.6% loss. Similarly, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose by 23 cents to $63.02 per barrel, culminating in a weekly decrease of 2.6%.
This morning, Brent crude fell 0.24% to $66.71 per barrel and WTI dipped 0.17% to $62.91 a barrel.
Gold prices continued their decline after surpassing the $3,500 mark and reaching a historical peak last week. Investors are awaiting further direction on U.S. tariff negotiations with its trading allies.
