What's Affecting Markets Today
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Thursday, mirroring overnight declines on Wall Street as investors digested the impact of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on auto imports.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% to close at 37,799.97, while the Topix index was flat at 2,815.47. South Korea’s Kospi declined 1.39% to 2,607.15, with the Kosdaq down 1.25% to 707.49.
In China, the CSI 300 rose 0.33% to 3,932.42, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.41% to close at 23,578.80. India’s Nifty 50 was up 0.52%, while the BSE Sensex climbed 0.49% as of 1:50 p.m. local time. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.38% to finish at 7,969.
U.S. futures ticked lower following a broad Wall Street sell-off. The S&P 500 dropped 1.12% to 5,712.20, the Dow Jones lost 132.71 points (0.31%) to 42,454.79, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 2.04% to close at 17,899.01, weighed down by a 6% slide in Nvidia. Other major tech stocks including Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, and Tesla also posted sharp losses.
ASX Stocks
ASX 200 - 7,979.8 (+10.8%)
Australian shares seesawed on Friday as caution prevailed amid escalating trade tensions driven by former US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The S&P/ASX 200 was flat at 7970.9 near 2.15pm AEDT, up just 1.9 points. The All Ordinaries also remained steady, with six of the 11 sectors higher, led by consumer staples and utilities.
Technology stocks extended losses as markets reacted to the US imposing 25% tariffs on automobile imports, with fears of retaliatory measures mounting. WiseTech fell 3%, and Xero declined 1.2%. Goodman Group briefly hit a one-year low amid its $10 billion data centre expansion.
Gold and iron ore miners outperformed after a surge in commodity prices. Ramelius Resources jumped 6.9%, De Grey Mining rose 4.6%, and Northern Star gained 3.8%.
In corporate news, Paladin Energy dropped 4.3% after retracting 2025 guidance due to heavy rainfall, despite a Macquarie upgrade. Corporate Travel Management fell 2.9% following an executive departure. Incitec Pivot lost 1.9% on weather-related disruptions but expects to recover in H2. Bellevue Gold remains suspended amid a review of output guidance.
Leaders
GTK Gentrack Group Ltd (+7.66%)
SPR Spartan Resources Ltd (+6.58%)
RMS Ramelius Resources Ltd (+6.49%)
OBM Ora Banda Mining Ltd (+6.40%)
PDI Predictive Discovery Ltd (+4.73%)
Laggards
LNW Light & Wonder Inc (-6.91%)
XYZ Block, Inc (-4.07%)
AAI Alcoa Corporation (-3.95%)
MGH Maas Group Holdings Ltd (-3.95%)
BVS Bravura Solutions Ltd (-3.85%)
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