This is CNBC’s live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell Friday as investors await details on the U.S.’ trade deals ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for higher tariffs next week.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark ended the day flat at 39,810.88, while the broader Topix index was flat at 2,827.95.
In South Korea, the Kospi index ended the day 1.99% lower at 3,054.28, while the small-cap Kosdaq declined by 2.21% to 775.80.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 index added 0.36% to close at 3,982.20, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.64% to end the day at 23,916.06.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day flat at 8,603.
Meanwhile, India’s benchmark Nifty 50 fell 0.17% while the BSE Sensex was down 0.18% as at 12.15 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
Overnight stateside, a better-than-expected jobs report eased investors’ concerns of a slowdown in the U.S. economy and pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to fresh record highs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 344.11 points, or 0.77%, settling at 44,828.53. The S&P 500 added 0.83% to close at 6,279.35, while the Nasdaq gained 1.02% and ended at 20,601.10. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite also closed at records.
U.S. markets are closed on Friday for the Independence Day public holiday.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.
Indonesian stocks decline ahead of trade pact and possible rate cut
Indonesian stocks traded in negative territory for the fourth consecutive day as the Jakarta Composite Index declined as much as 0.42% Friday.
The country’s central bank reportedly said on Thursday it will cut interest rates again after two reductions so far this year. This comes as the economy grew at its slowest pace in more than three years in the first quarter, according to Bank Indonesia’s governor Perry Warjiyo.
Indonesia will reportedly sign a $34 billion pact with trading partners to support imports from the U.S., two days before the higher tariffs kick in on July 9.
This is in line with the country’s efforts to strike a trade deal with Washington, Reuters reported.
The deal includes an increase in the import of fuels as well as investments by Indonesian companies in energy and agriculture sectors in the U.S., Minister Airlangga Hartarto reportedly said on Thursday.
The Southeast Asian giant’s flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is also reportedly in talks to buy up to 75 Boeing jets.
Jakarta is facing a 32% tariff and has previously offered to increase U.S. imports to facilitate trade talks between the two sides.
— Amala Balakrishner
Taiwanese dollar appreciates while shares decline ahead of Trump’s tariff deadline
The Taiwanese dollar appreciated against the greenback Friday as investors assessed the impact of potentially higher U.S. tariffs on exports as the duties reprieve deadline looms.
The Taiwanese dollar had strengthened 0.25% against the greenback to 28,849 as of 12.55 p.m. local time, after hitting its highest level since Apr. 7, 2022, earlier in the session.
Meanwhile, the benchmark Taiex index was last seen down 0.67%.
The weakness was led by the energy, industrials and healthcare sectors, according to data from LSEG.
The worst three performers were Century Iron and Steel Industrial which had plunged 10%, Cosmo Electronics Corp which declined 7.29% and Asia Optical which dropped 6.67%.
Meanwhile, shares of tech giants Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Hon Hai Precision Industry — known globally as Foxconn — were last seen trading 0.46% and 2.13% lower, respectively.
The iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF shows the index’s moves:
— Amala Balakrishner
Indian stocks open flat in early trade as investors weigh possible trade deal, Jane Street ban
Indian stocks started the day flat Friday as investors assessed the possibility of a trade deal and digested the Securities Exchange Board of India’s ban on U.S.-headquartered trading firm Jane Street over alleged market manipulation.
As of 9.50 a.m. local time, the Nifty 50 benchmark and the BSE Sensex were flat.
— Amala Balakrishner
Alibaba plans to raise $1.53 billion with exchangeable bonds for cloud, commerce push
Alibaba Group is seeking to raise around HK$12 billion ($1.53 billion) through exchangeable bonds to fuel its global cloud infrastructure and commerce push, the Chinese tech giant said in an exchange filing.
The bonds will not pay interest over time, and investors can later exchange them for shares in Alibaba Health, a subsidiary in which Alibaba Group holds approximately 64% of equity interest.
The fundraising plans come after the Group raised $5 billion through a dual-currency bond in November.
This week, Alibaba Cloud revealed new data centers in the Philippines and Malaysia. Its commerce business also reportedly announced a subsidy program totaling 50 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) over the next 12 months.
— Dylan Butts
Vietnamese dong, stocks fall for second consecutive session
The Vietnamese dong continued to depreciate against the greenback Friday.
The Southeast Asian currency had weakened by 0.1% to 26,200 against the dollar as of 10.51 a.m. local time, after hitting a record low earlier in the session, data from LSEG showed.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese stocks also fell for the second consecutive day, despite rising in early trade in the previous session following the announcement of a trade deal with U.S.
The benchmark Vietnam Index was last seen flat.
The worst performing stocks were Siam Brothers Vietnam which plunged 6.79%, Cat Loi which dropped 4.53% and ICAPITAL Investment, which declined 3.32%.
— Amala Balakrishner
India regulator bars Jane Street from securities market, freezes $566 million over Nifty 50 manipulation claims
The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred Jane Street Group from accessing India’s securities market, according to an order posted on the regulator’s website Friday.
The order stated that the U.S.-headquartered trading firm’s “entities are restrained from accessing the securities market and are further prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities, directly or indirectly.”
The regulator also issued an interim order to impound over 48.4 billion Indian rupees ($566.3 million) from Jane Street in alleged illegal gains.
Read the full story here.
— Amala Balakrishner
Japan household spending rises to near 3-year high
Japan’s average household spending surpassed expectations and rose 4.7% year-on-year rise in real terms, government data released Friday showed.
The reading is its highest since August 2022 and exceeded the 1.2% median forecast by economists polled by Reuters.
In quantitative terms, household spending reached 316,085 yen ($2,183.49) in May, while the average monthly household income ticked up 0.4% year on year in real terms to 522,318 yen.
Household spending, which captures consumption trends, are among the key factors monitored by the Bank of Japan in deciding whether to raise interest rates.
— Amala Balakrishner
Asia-Pacific markets mixed in early trade
Asia-Pacific markets started the day mixed on Friday.
As at 8.15 a.m. Singapore time, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark was flat while the broader Topix index added 0.11%.
In South Korea, the Kospi index moved down 0.26% while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.65%.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ticked up 0.17%.
— Amala Balakrishner
Here are the opening calls for the day
Good morning from Singapore.
Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly climb Friday after trading mixed the day before.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 40,100, while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 40,120, against the index’s Thursday close of 39,785.90.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 23,991, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI’s last close of 24,069.94.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 is slated to open higher with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,611 compared to its last close of 8,595.80.
— Amala Balakrishner
