Share this @internewscast.com
As dawn breaks over Sydney Harbor, the iconic Sydney Opera House, a masterpiece by Danish architect Jorn Oberg Utzon, stands majestically against the backdrop of the city’s skyscrapers. This serene image contrasts sharply with the current turbulence in Asian markets.
Amidst fluctuating regional trade, Asian defense stocks have lost momentum after a brief winning streak. Investors are cautiously evaluating the geopolitical tensions following the U.S. military action in Venezuela and the renewed diplomatic chatter regarding Greenland.
In Japan, shares of Kawasaki Heavy Industries experienced a decline of 2.11%. Meanwhile, in South Korea, Korea Aerospace saw a drop of 1.62%, Poongsan fell by 4.5%, and Hanwha Aerospace decreased by 1.76%. These shifts reflect the market’s uneasy response to the evolving international landscape.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Donald Trump and his advisors are exploring “a range of options” to potentially acquire Greenland, which intriguingly includes the involvement of the U.S. Military. This development adds another layer of intensity to the Trump administration’s ongoing interest in Greenland, a territory the president has expressed a desire to incorporate into the United States.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that President Donald Trump and his team were considering “a range of options” in order to acquire Greenland — including “utilizing the U.S. Military.”
The statement further escalates the Trump administration’s already aggressive rhetoric about Greenland, which the president has long sought to make a part of the United States.
Elsewhere, Australia’s benchmark ASX/S&P 200 rose 0.15% to end the trading day at 8,695.6 after domestic inflation data came in below forecasts. The Consumer Price Index rose 3.4% from a year earlier in November, missing Reuters’ expectations of 3.7%, and below October’s 3.8% inflation.
Monthly inflation was also unchanged from October, suggesting that price pressures may be easing and the case for a hike in interest rates may be cooling.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 1.06% to 51,961.98, while the Topix lost 0.77% to 3,511.34. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 0.57% to 4,551.06, while the small-cap Kosdaq edged 0.9% lower to 947.39.
Shares of South Korean Hyundai Motors soared 13.8%, extending gains for a sixth straight session. The company announced Tuesday that it planned to deploy humanoid robots at U.S. factories from 2028.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 0.94%, while mainland CSI 300 lost 0.29% to 4,776.67.
U.S. crude futures fell 1.3% to $56.39 per barrel after U.S. President Donald Trump said that Venezuela would transfer between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. The remarks followed a weekend operation in which U.S. forces seized former leader Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. equity futures were little changed in early Asian hours. Overnight in the United States, stocks advanced as investors appeared to look past the Venezuela operation.
The S&P 500 rose 0.62%, notching a record close of 6,944.82. It also posted a new all-time high during the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 484.90 points, or 0.99%, likewise reaching an intraday all-time high and closing at a record of 49,462.08. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.65% and ended at 23,547.17.
— CNBC’s Liz Napolitano, Fred Imbert and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
