Asian Shares

Asian shares mostly rose in Wednesday morning trading, with Japan's benchmark hitting a record high, as investors were cheered by an overnight Wall Street rally that seemed to reflect optimism about the artificial-intelligence boom. Japan's benchmark surged 1.3% to 58,081.62. That came despite China's move the previous day to restrict exports to 40 Japanese companies and organisations it says are contributing to Japan's "remilitarisation". The reaction was varied with the prices of some listed companies rising, like Subaru Corp and Mitsubishi Materials Corp, while others slipped, including Eneos Corp and Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Analysts said the declining yen worked to boost export shares, such as Honda Motor Co and Panasonic Corp. The US dollar slipped to 155.78 Japanese yen from 155.83 yen. The dollar traded close to 160 yen levels several months ago. The euro cost $1.1784, up from $1.1779. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.1% to 9,122.50. South Korea's Kospi surged 1.7% to ...

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 per cent and China's CSI 300 gained 1.3 per cent as markets there played catch-up after a holiday

Oil prices eased ahead of another round of talks between the United States and Iran ​due in Geneva on Thursday, with the risk of US military strikes lingering if a deal is not done

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia as worries over risks linked to massive investments in artificial intelligence and a potential US-Iran conflict weighed on major benchmarks. US futures edged higher, while oil prices resumed their ascent. Crude prices have been climbing as both the United States and Iran signal they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 1.2 per cent to 56,797.22 as shares in major banks and other financial institutions skidded on worries over the potential impact of weakening private credit companies that have lent to companies exposed to the risk that AI will steal away their businesses. That includes market heavyweights like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which has a partnership with Blue Owl Capital, one such private-credit company. MUFJ's shares dropped 2.6 per cent in Tokyo after Blue Owl lost 5.9 per cent on Thursday. Toyota Motor Corp. fell 3.9 per cent and Sony was down 3.3 per cent. In Hong Kong, t

Trading was ​thinned in Asia with markets in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, but MSCI's broadest ‌index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.5 per cent

Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korean were among markets closed for Lunar New Year holidays

Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, ​Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea markets were closed on Tuesday for Lunar New Year ​holidays. US markets were shut on Monday for Presidents' Day

Japan on Monday reported its economy grew a miserly 0.1 per cent annualised in the December quarter, far below the 1.6 per cent gain forecast as government spending dragged on activity

Asia shares were trading mostly lower Friday, tracking sharp Wall Street losses on a sell-off of technology-related stocks that investors fear could lose out from artificial intelligence disruptions. U.S. futures were mostly unchanged. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.8 per cent to 57,165.13 on Friday, after it passed the 58,000 mark for the first time early Thursday. SoftBank Group, which has a focus on AI, fell 6.8 per cent even as the company reported a quarterly profit Thursday building on its investments in OpenAI, among other gains. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.4 per cent to 5,545.49, after crossing 5,500 on Thursday, driven by gains in technology-related stocks. Samsung Electronics, the Kospi's largest listed company, was up 1.2 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.8 per cent to 26,547.97. The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.7 per cent to 4,105.04. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 traded 1.4 per cent lower at 8,919.30. On Thursday, Wall Street saw sharp losses as AI worries ...

Asia shares were mostly higher Thursday and benchmarks in Japan and South Korea reached new records after Wall Street wobbled following a better-than-expected US job report. US futures edged higher. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 surpassed the 58,000 mark early in the session as trading resumed after a holiday. However, it gave up those gains, edging just 10 points lower to 57,639.84. Japanese shares have rallied following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, as investors expect more policies to help spur economic growth. South Korea's Kospi breached the 5,500 mark for the first time, driven by gains for technology-related stocks. It was up 3.1 per cent at 5,522.27. Samsung Electronics, South Korea's biggest listed company, rose 6.4 per cent. Chipmaker SK Hynix added 3.3 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.9 per cent to 27,028.67. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1 per cent higher, to 4,140.59. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 picked u

Shares were moderately higher in Asia on Wednesday after US stocks drifted to a mixed finish following a discouraging report on how much money US retailers made during the holidays. US futures edged higher and prices of gold, silver and oil also advanced. Markets were closed in Japan for a holiday. Chinese markets crept higher, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong up 0.3% at 27,265.52. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.3% to 4,139.56. In South Korea, the Kospi extended its gains, risig to 5,346.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.5% to 8,999.20, while Taiwan's Taiex jumped 1.7%. On Tuesday, stocks drifted on Wall Street following a mixed set of profit reports from big US companies. Hopes rose that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year to boost the economy following a discouraging report on US shoppers' appetite for spending. "Fresh data points to softening US consumer momentum since last December as wage growth cools and household credit stress builds," ...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that senior ‌US Treasury staff visited China last week "to strengthen channels of ​communication" between Washington and Beijing

Japan's Nikkei surged 4.2 per cent to all-time highs, with investors expecting increased spending and tax cuts

US futures and Asian shares traded mostly lower on Friday, tracking Wall Street's losses as technology stocks again dragged on markets. Bitcoin sank to roughly half its record price, giving back all it gained since US President Donald Trump won the White House for his second term. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 0.5 per cent to 54,073.52, recovering from losses earlier this week, with technology-related stocks leading gains. SoftBank Group rose 1.9 per cent, and chipmaker Tokyo Electron rose 3 per cent. Japan will also be holding its general election on Sunday, in which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expects to win a stronger public mandate for her policies. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.7 per cent to 5,076.69, weighed down by tech shares. Samsung Electronics, the country's biggest listed company, fell 0.9 per cent. Chipmaker SK Hynix was down 0.6 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.2 per cent to 26,569.14. The Shanghai Composite index was flat at 4,075.37. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200

The recent selloff, triggered by a new legal tool from Anthropic's Claude large language model, has wiped out about $830 billion in market value since January 28

Gold and Asian equities rebounded on Tuesday as trading conditions steadied following sharp swings in metals markets, with sentiment helped by stronger-than-expected US factory data

US futures and Asian shares skidded Monday, and oil prices fell more than USD 2 a barrel. In South Korea, the Kospi tumbled 4.6 per cent to 4,982.54 as worries revived over a potential bubble in the craze for artificial intelligence. Samsung Electronics gave up 3.5 per cent, while chip maker SK Hynix sank 5.6 per cent. The Kospi has been forging records for weeks as major tech companies piggybacked on the AI craze with deals with major players like chip maker Nvidia. In other dealings, the price of gold fell 1 per cent, while silver gained more than 2 per cent after both plunged on Friday, marking a halt to record runs in precious metals markets. Markets appeared jittery as investors studied what President Donald Trump's new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, will mean for interest rates. The future for the S&P 500 sank 0.9 per cent while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5 per cent. US benchmark crude lost USD 2.80 to USD 62.41 per barrel. Speaking .

S&P 500 e-mini futures slid 0.4 per cent and Nasdaq e-mini futures were off 0.5 per cent, while precious metals were choppy after a flash crash

Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday after the S&P 500 ticked to a record, as the US dollar's value slid further. Later Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will announce its next move on interest rates. The expectation is that it will hold its main interest rate steady for now. South Korea's benchmark hit a record, lifted by gains for technology shares like computer chip maker SK Hynix, which climbed 3 per cent. The Kospi was up 1.3 per cent at 5,152.14. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.5 per cent to 53,055.58. The dollar rebounded slightly against the Japanese yen but has still weakened sharply since last week, putting pressure on shares of major exporters. Toyota Motor Corp. lost 3 per cent, and other major manufacturers also extended losses. The dollar was trading at 152.75 yen, up from 152.19 yen. But it's nearly 4 per cent lower than its level last week, when it surged to near 160 yen, prompting both Japanese and US officials to warn they will intervene to stanch the yen's ...

Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday after US stock indexes ticked upward, buoyed by strong profit reports for some companies. The price of gold slipped back from its record, edging 0.2 per cent lower to USD 5,071.70. Silver lost 5.1 per cent to USD 109.66 per ounce. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 per cent to 53,188.39. The Kospi in South Korea surged 1.9 per cent to 5,042.32 even after US President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on South Korean goods because the country's national assembly has yet to approve a trade framework announced last year. Trump said on social media Monday that import taxes would be raised on autos, lumber and pharmaceutical drugs from South Korea with the rate on other goods going from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Gains for tech-related shares like Samsung Electronics, which rose 2.9 per cent, helped offset losses for automakers like Kia Corp., which fell 2 per cent. Chinese markets were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.1 per cent t