Asia-Pacific markets fell on Friday as investors awaited details on US trade deals ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for higher tariffs next week.
The Nikkei 225 benchmark in Japan ended the day flat at 39,810.88, while the broader Topix index also remained steady. In South Korea, the Kospi index dropped 1.99% to close at 3,054.28, and 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, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.64% to end the day at 23,916.06. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also remained flat at 8,603.
The decline in Asian markets was largely due to concerns over the US trade policy and its impact on exports. Investors were expecting a clearer picture of the US trade deals, which could influence market sentiment.
In other news, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index declined as much as 0.42% on Friday, while the country’s central bank reported that it will cut interest rates again due to a slowing economy. The deal between Indonesia and its trading partners also had a negative impact on the stock market.
Meanwhile, in Taiwan, the Taiwanese dollar strengthened against the greenback, but shares declined ahead of Trump’s tariff deadline. Indonesian stocks traded in negative territory for the fourth consecutive day, while Vietnamese stocks fell for the second consecutive session.
The US markets are closed today due to Independence Day celebrations, which may not affect the global market sentiment directly. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indices reached fresh record highs earlier this week, but investors were cautious about the potential impact of the US trade policy on the global economy.
In other market news, Alibaba Group is planning to raise $1.53 billion through exchangeable bonds to fuel its cloud infrastructure and commerce push. The Securities Exchange Board of India has barred US-headquartered trading firm Jane Street from accessing India’s securities market due to allegations of market manipulation.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/04/asia-stock-markets-today-live-updates-nikkei-225-asx-200-kospi-hang-seng-csi-300-senxex-nifty-50.html