Thursday 9th January 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Slide Amid Inflation Worries and Fed Policy Concerns

Global Markets:

•  Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei down 0.88%, Shanghai Composite down 0.44%, Hang Seng down 0.11% ASX down 0.24%
• Commodities : Gold at $2676.35 (0.16%), Silver at $30.74 (0.18%), Brent Oil at $76.29 (0.06%), WTI Oil at $73.36 (0.11%)
• Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.665, UK 10-year yield at 4.7970, Germany 10-year yield at 2.5240

News & Data:

• (USD) ADP Non-Farm Employment Change  122K vs 139K expected
• (USD) Unemployment Claims 201K vs 214K expected

Markets Update:

Asia-Pacific markets showed mixed performance Wednesday, mirroring losses on Wall Street due to rising Treasury yields and declining U.S. tech stocks. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.35%, and the Topix dropped 0.59%. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.23%, though the Kosdaq Index remained flat.

Samsung Electronics shares rose 3.07% despite a disappointing fourth-quarter profit forecast. The memory chip leader estimated operating profit at 6.5 trillion won ($4.47 billion), falling short of LSEG’s forecast of 7.7 trillion won. In China, the Hang Seng Index slid 0.88%, and the CSI 300 declined 0.8%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.73%.

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings fell 2.27%, extending Tuesday’s nearly 8% drop after its inclusion in the U.S. Department of Defense list of “Chinese military companies.” Battery maker CATL, also on the list, lost 1%.

In the U.S., major indices closed lower as tech stocks dragged down the market. The S&P 500 dropped 1.11% to 5,909.03, the Dow Jones fell 0.42% to 42,528.36, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.89% to 19,489.68. Nvidia fell 6.2% after reaching a record high earlier, while Tesla declined 4% following a Bank of America downgrade due to valuation and strategy risks. Meta Platforms lost nearly 2%, while Apple and Microsoft each fell over 1%.

Upcoming Events: 

• 12:30 PM GMT – USD Unemployment Claims

The post Thursday 9th January 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Slide Amid Inflation Worries and Fed Policy Concerns first appeared on IC Markets | Official Blog.