Friday 2nd May 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Climb on China-U.S. Trade Hopes and Wall Street Tech Rally

Global Markets:

•  Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 1.28%, Shanghai Composite down 0.2%, Hang Seng up 1.62% ASX up 1.02%
• Commodities : Gold at $3262.35 (1.19%), Silver at $32.58 (1.49%), Brent Oil at $62.38 (0.5%), WTI Oil at $59.10 (0.49%)
• Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.230, UK 10-year yield at 4.4848, Germany 10-year yield at 2.4447

News & Data:

• (USD) Unemployment Claims  241K  to 221K  expected

Markets Update:

Asia-Pacific markets advanced following China’s announcement that it is evaluating potential trade talks with the U.S., boosting investor sentiment. The positive momentum also mirrored Wall Street’s overnight gains, driven by optimism that a global economic slowdown may not hinder the progress of artificial intelligence.

Leading the regional rally, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.74%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index surged 3.45%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.87%, and the broader Topix gained 0.3%. In South Korea, the Kospi inched up 0.19%, and the tech-heavy Kosdaq climbed 0.76%. India’s Nifty 50 edged up 0.46%, although the BSE Sensex was relatively flat in early trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also joined the uptrend, increasing by 0.94%. Meanwhile, China’s mainland markets remained closed for the Labor Day holiday.

U.S. stock futures ticked higher as investors welcomed news of China’s potential re-engagement in trade talks. Wall Street had a strong session, driven by upbeat earnings from tech giants Meta Platforms and Microsoft—two of the “Magnificent Seven” stocks. Their results helped ease worries about a slowdown in AI-related developments amidst ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 83.60 points (0.21%) to close at 40,752.96. The S&P 500 gained 0.63% to settle at 5,604.14, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.52% to finish at 17,710.74, erasing losses accumulated since early April. Investors are now closely watching economic indicators and corporate earnings for further direction.

Upcoming Events: 

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• 12:30 PM GMT – USD Non-Farm Employment Change
• 12:30 PM GMT – USD Unemployment Rate

The post Friday 2nd May 2025: Asia-Pacific Markets Climb on China-U.S. Trade Hopes and Wall Street Tech Rally first appeared on IC Markets | Official Blog.