Asian markets were mostly lower Monday as U.S. futures edged higher following a lackluster performance on Wall Street last week. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.3% to 50,226.67 after data showed Japan’s economy contracted 1.8% annually in July-September. The dollar rose slightly against the yen to 154.65 from 154.58.
Chinese markets also declined, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng down 0.8% at 26,359.22 and Shanghai Composite off 0.4% at 3,973.31, amid heightened tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan-related comments by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
In contrast, South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.7%, led by tech stocks, including SK Hynix (+6.8%) and Samsung Electronics (+3.3%), after collaboration plans with Nvidia on artificial intelligence development. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell slightly to 8,628.60, while Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.4% and India’s Sensex added 0.3%.
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U.S. futures showed moderate gains, with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.1%, following mixed trading last Friday. Treasury yields and investor uncertainty remain influenced by Federal Reserve policy, interest rate expectations, and inflation trends.
Crude oil prices dipped, while Bitcoin rose 1.1% to $95,400. The euro declined slightly to $1.1602.
Source: AP