TOKYO – Asian shares traded mixed Thursday, as worries crept back following a Wall Street rally attributed to President Donald Trump’s apparent softening stance on the Federal Reserve and trade war rhetoric.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 increased by close to 0.9% in morning trading at 35,168.80. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also saw a rise of 0.6% to reach 7,966.50. Conversely, South Korea’s Kospi experienced a decline of 0.5% to 2,513.17. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped by 0.3% to 22,005.16, while the Shanghai Composite rose by 0.4% to 3,309.12.
Referring to Trump’s recent policy statements as “headline turbulence,” Tan Jing Yi of Mizuho Bank’s Asia & Oceania Treasury Department cautioned about potential long-term negative impacts on the global economy, noting that market sentiment fluctuates between optimism and pessimism.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 climbed 1.7% and added to its big gain from Tuesday that more than made up for a steep loss on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 419 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 2.5%.
Much of the recent market volatility is because of uncertainty about what Trump will do with his economic policies. Adding to some relief was Trump saying late Tuesday that he has “no intention” to fire the head of the Federal Reserve.
Trump’s tough talk had frightened investors because the Fed is supposed to act independently, without pressure from politicians, so that it can make decisions that may be painful in the short term but are best for the long term.
While a cut to interest rates by the Fed could give the economy a boost, it could also put upward pressure on inflation. Trump also said U.S. tariffs on imports coming from China could come down “substantially” from the current 145%.
“It won’t be that high, not going to be that high,” he said.
Investors are hoping Trump would lower his tariffs after negotiating trade deals with other countries. Trump said this week that he would be “very nice” to the world’s second-largest economy and not play hardball with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“There is an opportunity for a big deal here,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday.
All the uncertainty means one of the few predictions many along Wall Street are willing to make is that sharp swings for financial markets will continue for a while. The market will “more likely than not continue to be dictated by Trump’s latest whims regarding tariffs and trade,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
The S&P 500 remains 12.5% below its record set earlier this year after briefly dropping roughly 20% below the mark. Its swings have been coming not just day to day but also hour to hour as Trump and his administration’s officials continue to surprise markets.
Trump’s latest comments had a relaxing effect on the bond market, where Treasury yields eased. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.38% from 4.41% late Tuesday. It dropped as low as 4.26% earlier in the morning.
Big Tech helped lead indexes higher. Nvidia rose 3.9% to claw back more of the sharp losses it took last week, when it said U.S. restrictions on exports of its H20 chips to China could hurt its first-quarter results by $5.5 billion. The chip company’s stock was the strongest single force lifting the S&P 500.
Tesla revved 5.4% higher after CEO Elon Musk said he’ll spend less time in Washington and more time running his electric vehicle company after Tesla on late Tuesday reported a big drop in profits. It’s been struggling because of backlash against Musk’s efforts to lead cost-cutting efforts by the U.S. government.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 88.10 points to 5,375.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 419.59 to 39,606.57, and the Nasdaq composite gained 407.63 to 16,708.05.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 25 cents to$62.52 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 26 cents to $66.38 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar slipped to 142.73 Japanese yen from 143.15 yen. The euro cost $1.1350, up from $1.1322.
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AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.
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