Market Reactions Across Asia

Following the announcement by US President Donald Trump about imposing new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, major stock indexes in the Asia-Pacific region showed mixed reactions. Japan's trade surplus on the balance of payments (BOP) basis was reported at ¥62.3 billion in December, a decrease from November's ¥97.9 billion surplus.

Stock Index Movements

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 saw a decrease of 0.34% at 3:21 am CET. South Korea's Kospi Composite remained flat shortly after. However, Hong Kong's Hang Seng experienced a significant jump of 1.44% at 3:23 am CET. On the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Composite saw increases of 0.42% and 0.37%, respectively. Japan's Nikkei 225 was slightly down by 0.10% at 3:24 am CET.

Currency Impact

The dollar strengthened against the yen, trading 0.45% higher, reaching ¥151.9900 at 3:25 am CET.