This is CNBC’s live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.
Asia-Pacific markets were muted Monday as investors assessed China’s promises to support domestic businesses as well as developments in trade negotiations between the U.S. and countries in the region.
Over the weekend, China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an said that the Asian powerhouse will “adopt more proactive macroeconomic policies to promote the realization of the expected growth target for the whole year and continue to bring stability and momentum to the global economy,” according to a Google translation of a statement posted on the ministry’s website.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index were nearly flat in choppy trade.
Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.37% while the broader Topix index advanced 0.9%.
In South Korea, the Kospi index eked out a 0.13% gain while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 1.04%.
India’s benchmark Nifty 50 moved up 0.74% in early trade while the broader BSE Sensex increased 0.34%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.65%.
Investors will also be keeping tabs on developments in trade negotiations between the U.S. and countries in the region, after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that another pause to his “reciprocal tariffs” was unlikely, according to Bloomberg reports.
U.S. futures edged down ahead of a heavy earnings week, even as all three major benchmarks rose and notched their second positive week out of three.
The broad-based S&P 500 ended last Friday’s session 0.74% higher at 5,525.21, while the Nasdaq Composite added 1.26% to end at 17,282.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, but managed to edge up marginally by 0.05%, or 20 points to close at 40,113.50.
— CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
Asian tech giants mostly decline ahead of heavy earnings week in the U.S.
Several Asian tech giants posted losses on Monday, ahead of a heavy earnings week in the U.S.
Losses in Japan were led by Advantest Corp which plunged 5.32% as at 12.50 p.m. Singapore Time.
Declines were also seen in Renesas Electron which had dropped 2.2%, Lasertec which had declined 1.97% and SoftBank Group which slid 0.39%.
Over in South Korea, SK Hynix was last seen trading 1.52% lower while Samsung Electronics was flat.
Movements among tech names in Hong Kong were mixed.
Losses were seen in BYD Company which plunged 4.03%, Meituan which dropped 1.02%, Xpeng which fell 3.46% and Baidu which was down 0.29%.
Elsewhere, gains were seen in Tencent which edged up 0.17%, Xiaomi which increased 0.73% , SenseTime which added 2.11% and JD.com which advanced 2.91%.
— Amala Balakrishner
Singapore’s benchmark STI falls for third straight session
Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index fell 0.42% as at 12.35 p.m. local time, extending its losses for the third consecutive session.
Still, the index has gained 0.53% since the start of the year.
The worst performing stocks on the STI were United Overseas Bank, which had plunged 3.16%, Mapletree Logistics Trust, which had dropped 1.77% and Keppel Corporation which was down 1.66%.
— Amala Balakrishner
Shares of Ambani-owned Reliance Industries surge as much as 3.35% on better-than-expected 4QFY2025 results
Shares of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries surged as much as 3.35% as at 9.50 a.m. local time, following its better-than-expected fourth quarter profit.
The company – which is controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani – posted a 6.1% year-on-year increase in its consolidated profit after tax to 224.34 billion Indian rupees ($2.6 billion) for the fourth quarter ended March 31.
This comes on the back of a recovery in its oil-to-chemicals business as well as a pick up in its customer-focused segments.
Reliance Industries’ full year profit for FY2025 was up 2.73% year on year to 807.87 billion Indian rupees.
— Amala Balakrishner
Toyota Motor shares surge over 5% on reports it might invest in a potential $42 billion buyout of Toyota Industries
Shares of Toyota Motor surged 5.61% as of 11.20 a.m. Japanese time Monday, following reports that it was exploring to invest in a potential $42 billion buyout of automotive parts manufacturer Toyota Industries.
Toyota Motor, which spun off from Toyota Industries in 1937, noted in a regulatory filing on April 26 that it was “exploring various possibilities, including partial investment” in Toyota Industries. Toyota Motor has a market cap that is nearly 10 times that of Toyota Industries, its key parts supplier.
The Japanese automaker added that it will “continuously evaluate the most optimal approach, but no decisions have been made at this time.”
Shares of Toyota Industries remain untraded Monday, with buy orders piling up. LSEG data indicates that the counter’s bid and ask are set to hit the daily upper limit of 16,225 Japanese yen ($112.85), which is a 23% surge from its Friday close of 13,225 yen.
Correction: This post was updated to reflect that Toyota Motor is reportedly exploring to invest in a potential buyout of Toyota Industries.
— Amala Balakrishner
Bitcoin slides after crossing $95,000 in previous session
Bitcoin fell early Monday, reversing course from gains in the previous session when it crossed $95,000.
The cryptocurrency fell 1.31% to $93,076.30 as of 9.30 a.m. Singapore time.
— Amala Balakrishner
Spot gold extends slide after last week’s record high
Spot gold extended its slide after crossing the $3,500 threshold and hitting a record high last week as investors awaited clarity on U.S. tariff negotiations with its trading partners.
The precious metal slid 0.35% as of 9.15 a.m. Singapore time on Monday to trade at $3,306.42 per ounce.
— Amala Balakrishner
