Asian Markets Show Varied Performance Following Record-Setting US Stock Rally

BANGKOK – Asian markets began the week on a positive note as U.S. stocks hit a new peak, bouncing back from the disruptions caused by trade policies during the Trump era.

Canada’s recent move to drop its plan for imposing taxes on U.S. tech companies, which had stalled trade discussions, brought relief to the markets. Following this, U.S. stock futures saw an uptick after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the resumption of talks.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 0.6% to 40,395.99.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.3% to 24,207.36, while the Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.5% to 3,438.46.

In China, there was a slight uptick in factory activity in June, as tensions eased between Beijing and Washington following their agreement in May to delay tariff hikes, although the manufacturing sector still faced challenges.

In South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.5% to 3,070.93. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.6% to 8,560.80.

Taiwan’s Taiex lost 1.4% and the Sensex in India was down 0.4%. In Bangkok, the SET was up 0.3%.

On Friday, the S&P 500 rose 0.5% to 6,173.07, above its previous record set in February. The key measure of Wall Street’s health fell nearly 20% from Feb. 19 through April 8.

The Nasdaq composite gained 0.5% to 20,273.46, its own all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1% to 43,819.27.

The gains on Friday were broad, with nearly every sector within the S&P 500 rising. Nike soared 15.2% for the biggest gain in the market, despite warning of a steep hit from tariffs.

An update on inflation Friday showed prices ticked higher in May, though the rate mostly matched economists’ projections.

Inflation remains a big concern. Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff policy has made it difficult for companies to make financial forecasts and strained household budgets. A long list of businesses from carmakers to retailers have warned that higher import taxes will likely hurt their revenues and profits.

The U.S. has 10% baseline tariffs on all imported goods, along with higher rates for Chinese goods and other import taxes on steel and autos and the threat of more severe tariffs continues to hang over the economy. The current pause on a round of retaliatory tariffs against a long list of nations is set to expire on July 9. Failure to negotiate deals or further postpone the tariffs could once again rattle investors and consumers.

In an interview with Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump said his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. Letters will start going out “pretty soon” before the approaching deadline, he said.

The Federal Reserve is monitoring the tariff situation with a big focus on inflation. The rate of inflation has been stubbornly sitting just above the central bank’s target of 2%. In a report Friday, its preferred gauge, the personal consumption expenditures index, rose to 2.3% in May. That’s up from 2.2% the previous month.

The Fed cut interest rates three times in late 2024 following a historic series of rate hikes to cool inflation. The PCE was as high as 7.2% in 2022 while the more commonly used consumer price index hit 9.1%.

The Fed hasn’t cut rates so far in 2025 over worries that tariffs could reignite inflation and hamper the economy. Economists still expect at least two rate cuts before the end of the year.

Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.28% from 4.27% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, stood at 3.74%.

In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 8 cents to $65.44 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 6 cents to $66.86 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to 143.93 Japanese yen from 144.46 yen. The euro rose to $1.1730 from $1.1725.

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AP Business Writers Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga contributed.