Hong Kong (AFP) – Asian markets rose Friday, with Hong Kong leading the way thanks to a surge in tech stocks led by ecommerce titan Alibaba. The gains put the region on course to end a positive week on a strong note and came as traders weigh the economic outlook in light of Donald Trump’s tariffs drive and geopolitical machinations.
The yen pulled back a day after rallying past the 150-per-dollar mark, following a warning on rising bond yields by Japan’s finance minister which caused a rethink over bets on how many interest rate hikes the central bank will announce this year. Traders have been dealing with a series of Trump headlines this week that have made them consider their investment strategies, with his mulling of more tariffs adding to inflation worries.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January policy meeting, released this week, showed officials concerned that the president’s trade wars and pledges to cut taxes, regulations, and immigration will force them to pause their rate cutting for now. The first high-level discussions between Washington and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine, without the presence of Europe or Kyiv, saw the two appoint teams to negotiate an end to the war.
Disappointing earnings from retail titan Walmart sparked worries about US consumer activity and the impact on the world’s top economy, weighing on Wall Street, with all three main indexes ending in negative territory. However, Asia fared well, with Hong Kong piling on more than four percent to hit a three-year high. The rally was fueled by tech firms, particularly Alibaba, which rocketed more than 14 percent a day after it released forecast-busting earnings figures. The firm is now up nearly 70 percent since the turn of the year, and the Hang Seng Index more than 17 percent.
The Hang Seng tech index surged more than six percent, with other household names making big moves higher. Tencent added more than six percent, JD.com and XD Inc gained more than five percent, and Meituan jumped 3.8 percent. China’s tech sector has been on a roll this year and has been given an extra boost since startup DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that upended the global AI sector.
Elsewhere in Asia, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, and Jakarta also rose, along with Frankfurt and Paris. However, London fell at the open. The yen retreated after Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday that rising government bond yields, which are at their highest since 1999, could weigh on economic growth. The yen was back above 150 to the dollar, having strengthened to below that figure for the first time since December.
That dented expectations that the Bank of Japan will announce a series of rate hikes this year, even after data released Friday showed Japanese core inflation hit a 19-month high of 3.2 percent in January. “Kato’s remarks had traders rethinking whether the BoJ would really push ahead aggressively or if they might be nudged into a more measured, summer one-and-done approach in 2025,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes. “Most economists expect the next BoJ rate hike to land in the summer, but the market isn’t entirely convinced.”
Stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter GDP growth figures, notably hawkish remarks from BoJ board member Hajime Takata, and a hotter CPI have amplified speculation that the tightening cycle could move faster than anticipated. Rania Gule, a senior market analyst at XS.com, added: “Kato’s remarks brought things back into focus, confirming that the central bank is not completely independent from the Ministry of Finance, which is grappling with unprecedented levels of debt to GDP.”
– Key figures around 0815 GMT –
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 38,776.94 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 4.0 percent at 23,477.92 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,379.11 (close)
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,653.98
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0492 from $1.0505 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2669 from $1.2668
Dollar/yen: UP at 150.53 from 149.65 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.82 pence from 82.90 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $72.22 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $76.24 per barrel
New York – Dow: DOWN 1.0 percent at 44,176.65 (close)
© 2024 AFP
