Bangkok, June 30: Asian shares started the week with gains after US stocks closed at an all-time high following their recovery from the shocks of the Trump administration’s trade policies.
Canada’s decision to cancel a plan to tax US technology firms that had led President Donald Trump to halt trade talks helped to steady the markets. US stock futures advanced after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the talks had resumed.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 0.6 per cent to 40,395.99.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.3 per cent to 24,207.36, while the Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.5 per cent to 3,438.46.
China reported that its factory activity improved slightly in June after Beijing and Washington agreed in May to postpone imposing higher tariffs on each others’ exports, though manufacturing remained in contraction.
In South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.5 per cent to 3,070.93. Australia’s S and P/ASX 200 jumped 0.6 per cent to 8,560.80.
Taiwan’s Taiex lost 1.4 per cent and the Sensex in India was down 0.4 per cent. In Bangkok, the SET was up 0.3 per cent.
On Friday, the S and P 500 rose 0.5 per cent to 6,173.07, above its previous record set in February. The key measure of Wall Street’s health fell nearly 20 per cent from February 19 through April 8.
The Nasdaq composite gained 0.5 per cent to 20,273.46, its own all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1 per cent to 43,819.27.
The gains on Friday were broad, with nearly every sector within the S and P 500 rising. Nike soared 15.2 per cent for the biggest gain in the market, despite warning of a steep hit from tariffs.
An update on inflation Friday showed prices ticked higher in May, though the rate mostly matched economists’ projections.
Inflation remains a big concern. Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff policy has made it difficult for companies to make financial forecasts and strained household budgets. A long list of businesses from carmakers to retailers have warned that higher import taxes will likely hurt their revenues and profits.
The US has 10 per cent baseline tariffs on all imported goods, along with higher rates for Chinese goods and other import taxes on steel and autos and the threat of more severe tariffs continues to hang over the economy. The current pause on a round of retaliatory tariffs against a long list of nations is set to expire on July 9.
Failure to negotiate deals or further postpone the tariffs could once again rattle investors and consumers.
In an interview with Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures”, Trump said his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. Letters will start going out “pretty soon” before the approaching deadline, he said.
The Federal Reserve is monitoring the tariff situation with a big focus on inflation. The rate of inflation has been stubbornly sitting just above the central bank’s target of 2 per cent.
In a report Friday, its preferred gauge, the personal consumption expenditures index, rose to 2.3 per cent in May. That’s up from 2.2 per cent the previous month.
The Fed cut interest rates three times in late 2024 following a historic series of rate hikes to cool inflation. The PCE was as high as 7.2 per cent in 2022 while the more commonly used consumer price index hit 9.1 per cent.
The Fed hasn’t cut rates so far in 2025 over worries that tariffs could reignite inflation and hamper the economy. Economists still expect at least two rate cuts before the end of the year.
Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.28 per cent from 4.27 per cent late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, stood at 3.74 per cent.
In other dealings early Monday, US benchmark crude oil lost 8 cents to USD 65.44 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 6 cents to USD 66.86 per barrel.
The US dollar fell to 143.93 Japanese yen from 144.46 yen. The euro rose to USD 1.1730 from USD 1.1725. (AP)
