Today's Edition
Beijing (dpa-AFX)
Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday despite US President Donald Trump announcing a trade deal with China on rare earths and hinting at a major upcoming deal with India.
The ceasefire between Iran and Israel continued to hold, and weak US data fuelled rate cut hopes, helping limit regional losses.
Gold dipped over 1% below $3,300 per ounce, and the dollar index hovered near its lowest level since March 2022 ahead of the US May personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index data due later in the session. Oil was on track for its worst weekly loss since March as supply concerns eased.
China's Shanghai Composite index fell 0.70% to 3,424.23 as new data showed China's industrial profits fell 9.1% year on year in the first five months of the year in the face of deepening deflationary pressures and a persistent property crisis. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index finished 0.17% lower at 24,284.15 after a White House official said the United States has reached an agreement with China on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the US.
Japanese markets ended at a six-month high amid hopes the US will extend the deadline for reciprocal tariffs. The Nikkei average jumped 1.43% to 40,150.79, marking its highest closing level since December 27. The broader Topix index settled 1.28% higher at 2,840.54.
Technology stocks followed their US peers higher, supported by positive news around easing tensions in the Middle East and expectations for Fed rate cuts this year. Tokyo Electron surged 4.3%, and SoftBank Group rallied 2.5%. Defence-related Kawasaki Heavy Industries soared 6.2% on expectations of increased defense spending in the country.
Automakers Honda, Toyota, and Nissan all gained around 3%, tracking a weaker yen as Tokyo's CPI data for June 2025 revealed a milder inflation trajectory than anticipated.
Australian markets gave up early gains to end in the red. Banks fell, offsetting gains in the mining sector. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.43% to 8,514.20, while the broader All Ordinaries index closed 0.34% lower at 8,743.60.
US stocks rose overnight as White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt downplayed the importance of July's tariff deal deadlines.
In economic news, sales of durable goods came in well above expectations in May.
Jobless claims came in below expectations last week, but continuing claims hit a 2.5-year high.
Revised data showed real US GDP fell at an annual rate of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, a downgrade from the previous estimate of a 0.2% decline and marking its worst quarterly performance since early 2023.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rallied 1%, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to end the day just shy of their record closing highs on Fed rate cut hopes. The narrower Dow advanced 0.9%.
