Asian Markets Show Mixed Responses to Trump's Tariff Exemption Signals

On Tuesday, Asia-Pacific markets exhibited mixed trading patterns, diverging from the gains observed on Wall Street. These gains were largely fueled by optimism surrounding potential softer-than-expected tariffs from United States President Donald Trump.

Bank of Japan's Optimistic Inflation Outlook

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) January meeting minutes revealed a growing confidence among board members in achieving the 2% inflation target, marking a significant moment for Japan's economic policy.

Market Performance Across Asia

Japan's Nikkei 225 saw an increase of 0.73%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.46%. In contrast, South Korea's Kospi Composite experienced a slight decline of 0.34%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped significantly by 1.89%, and the Chinese mainland's Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Composite decreased by 0.06% and 0.39%, respectively.

The dollar remained stable against the yen, trading at ¥150.6760.