Wednesday 21st May 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Rise as Wall Street Rally Pauses

Global Markets:

•  Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei down 0.28%, Shanghai Composite up 0.37%, Hang Seng up 0.71% ASX up 0.55%
• Commodities : Gold at $3303.35 (0.39%), Silver at $33.28 (0.69%), Brent Oil at $66.58 (1.29%), WTI Oil at $63.06 (1.29%)
• Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.506, UK 10-year yield at 4.6980, Germany 10-year yield at 2.5990

News & Data:

• (CAD) CPI m/m -0.1%  to -0.1% expected

Markets Update:

Asia-Pacific markets mostly traded higher on Wednesday, following a pause in Wall Street’s recent rally that ended a six-day winning streak. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.23% after data showed exports declined for a second consecutive month, partly due to the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s broad tariffs.

In contrast, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.58%, and the smaller Kosdaq gained 0.95%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.43%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index opened 0.45% higher, while China’s CSI 300 remained flat.

Investors are also awaiting the Bank of Indonesia’s policy announcement. The bank had cut interest rates in September 2024 and January 2025 but has since maintained a 5.75% rate. According to HSBC, weak economic growth and a depreciating currency may prompt the bank to resume rate cuts. “Given growth weakness, we believe it’s time to restart the easing cycle in May,” HSBC economists noted.

Meanwhile, U.S. futures showed little movement. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 each declined 0.2%, while Dow Jones futures slipped by 93 points, or 0.2%.

On Tuesday, U.S. stocks ended lower as a tech-driven rally lost momentum. The S&P 500 dropped 0.39% to 5,940.46, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.38% to 19,142.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.27%, or 114.83 points, closing at 42,677.24. Tech stocks, which had led recent gains, were hit hardest. Nvidia slid 0.9%, and losses were also seen in Advanced Micro Devices, Meta Platforms, Apple, and Microsoft.

Upcoming Events: 

• 02:30 PM GMT – USD Crude Oil Inventories

The post Wednesday 21st May 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Rise as Wall Street Rally Pauses first appeared on IC Markets | Official Blog.