Chinese and Hong Kong markets fell Thursday as investors assessed the first in-person meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping since Trump began his second term.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 fell 0.8% to end at 4,709.9, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.24% to 26,282.69, reversing earlier gains, after the meeting concluded.
Trump said he had reached a one-year agreement with China on rare earths and other critical minerals, and that Washington will cut fentanyl-related tariffs on Beijing to 10% after their meeting in South Korea.
Other Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Thursday, after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that a rate cut in December was far from a “foregone conclusion.”
The Fed on Wednesday slashed the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points, as expected, to bring it to 3.75%-4%.
South Korea’s markets will also be in focus after Seoul’s chief policy advisor Kim Yong-beom reportedly released details of the trade deal with Washington.
South Korea will invest $200 billion in the U.S., with an annual cap of $20 billion a year, while the remaining $150 billion of its $350 billion total pledge announced earlier this year will be used for shipbuilding cooperation, according to local media reports.
The Kospi added 0.14%, with gains seen in auto and shipbuilding stocks, to close at a fresh record of 4,086.89, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 1.19% to 890.86.
| .AXJO | S&P/ASX 200 | ASX 200 | 8,885.50 | -40.70 | -0.46% |
| .HSI | Hang Seng Index | HSI | 26,282.69 | -63.45 | -0.24% |
| .KS11 | KOSPI Index | KOSPI | 4,086.89 | +5.74 | +0.14% |
| .N225 | Nikkei 225 Index | NIKKEI | 51,325.61 | +17.96 | +0.04% |
| .NSEI | NIFTY 50 | NIFTY 50 | 25,877.85 | -176.05 | -0.68% |
| .SSEC | Shanghai | SHANGHAI | 3,986.901 | -29.43 | -0.73% |
Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended just above the flatline at 51,325.61, while the Topix rose 0.69% to finish at 3,300.79.
This comes as the Bank of Japan kept benchmark interest rates steady at 0.5% in its first meeting after Sanae Takaichi’s rise to power as the country’s prime minister earlier this month.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.46% to end at 8,885.5 and marking its third straight day of losses.
Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower Wednesday after Powell’s remarks, having hit a record high earlier in the session.
The Dow closed down 0.2% at 47,632.00, while the S&P 500 ended marginally lower at 6,890.59.
However, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.55% to a fresh record close of 23,958.47, propped up by a rise in Nvidia.
source: cnbc.com
