Asian Markets Surge as US-China Trade Discussions Approach

HONG KONG – Shares rose in Asia on Monday ahead of the second round of trade talks between Washington and Beijing, due later in the day in London.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.1% to 38,137.09 as the government reported that the Japanese economy contracted by 0.2% in the January-March quarter.

In South Korea, the Kospi added 1.9% to 2,865.52.

Chinese markets saw an increase despite the government’s announcement that export growth slowed in May, achieving a 4.8% rise compared to the previous year, following an over 8% surge in April. Exports to the United States fell by nearly 10% from a year ago.

China also reported that consumer prices fell 0.1% in May from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of deflation.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng picked up 1.4% to 24,119.64 while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.4% to 3,397.13.

Australia’s market was closed for a public holiday.

On Friday, stocks gained ground on Wall Street following a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market.

The increase was widespread, with all sectors in the S&P 500 seeing gains. This helped the benchmark index clinch a second straight positive week, rebounding from a dip two months prior and edging closer to its peak record.

The S&P 500 rose 1% to 6,000.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1% to 42,762.87 while the Nasdaq gained 1.2%, to 19,529.95.

Technology stocks, with their outsized values, led the broad gains. Chipmaker Nvidia jumped 1.2% and iPhone maker Apple rose 1.6%.

Tesla rose 3.7%, regaining some of the big losses it suffered on Thursday when Trump and Musk sparred feverishly on social media.

Circle Internet Group, based in the U.S. and known for issuing a highly favored cryptocurrency, climbed 29.4%. This follows its impressive 168% surge since it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.

U.S. employers slowed their hiring last month, but still added a solid 139,000 jobs amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade war. The closely watched monthly update reaffirmed that the job market remains resilient, despite worries from businesses and consumers about the impact of tariffs on goods going to and coming from the U.S. and its most important trading partners.

President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs continue to weigh on companies. Lululemon Athletica plunged 19.8% after the maker of yoga clothing cut its profit expectations late Thursday as it tries to offset the impact of tariffs while being buffeted by competition from start-up brands.

Lululemon joins a wide range of companies, from retailers to airlines, that have warned investors about the potential hit to their revenue and profits because of tariffs raising costs and consumers potentially tightening their spending.

Hopes that Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries are a main reason the S&P 500 has rallied back so furiously since dropping roughly 20% two months ago from an all-time high.

The economy is absorbing the impact from tariffs on a wide range of goods from key trading partners, along with raw materials such as steel. Heavier tariffs could hit businesses and consumers in the coming months.

The U.S. economy contracted during the first quarter. Recent surveys by the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, found that both American manufacturing and services businesses contracted last month. On Tuesday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast 1.6% growth for the U.S. economy this year, down from 2.8% last year.

The uncertainty over tariffs and their economic impact has put the Federal Reserve in a delicate position.

In other trading early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 3 cents to $64.55 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 5 cents to $66.42 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar retreated to 144.42 Japanese yen from 144.85 yen. The euro edged higher, to $1.1422 from $1.1399.