Asia-Pacific Markets React to Economic Data and US Trade Tariffs

On Thursday, the Asia-Pacific markets experienced varied movements as investors digested the latest economic data and updates on US trade tariffs. South Korea reported a decrease in inflation to 2%, while Australia celebrated a trade surplus of 5.6 billion Australian dollars in January, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Market Movements Across the Region

Japan's Nikkei 225 saw an increase of 0.88% by 7:16 am CET. However, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended its trading session with a 0.57% loss. South Korea's Kospi advanced by 0.43% at 7:17 am CET. In mainland China, the Shenzhen Composite improved by 1.76%, and the Shanghai Composite gained 1.22% by 7:18 am CET. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index notably rose by 2.96%.

Currency Movements

By 7:19 am CET, the US dollar had strengthened by 0.23% against the Japanese yen, trading at ¥1.08174.