Asian stock markets rose on Friday, with a powerful rally in Japanese shares leading the way, as investors reacted positively to signs of easing trade tensions between Japan and the United States.
While technology stocks also gained on strong earnings, a more cautious mood prevailed elsewhere, with Indian benchmarks like the Sensex poised for a lower start.
The primary driver of the bullish sentiment, particularly in Tokyo, was a significant concession from Washington on trade. Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, announced after a meeting with his counterparts in Washington on Thursday that the US has agreed to end the so-called “stacking” of universal tariffs on Japan and will cut car levies as promised.
He stated that US officials had expressed regret that the stacking rule had been applied to Japan despite a previous verbal agreement and that Washington would refund any overpaid levies.
While no specific timeframe for implementation was agreed upon, the news was enough to ignite a rally in Japanese stocks.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 0.5% and is on track for its fifth consecutive day of gains.
The Nikkei-225 index in Japan advanced an impressive 2.2%, with automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. jumping on the positive comments. Technology companies also helped the rally, with SoftBank Group Corp. and Sony Group Corp. both rising after strong earnings reports.
“Traders are looking at the tariffs facing countries like India and Switzerland and are identifying Japan as being in pretty good shape in comparison,” commented Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. Investors “are now thinking that Japan is in comparatively good stead at 15%.”
A complex global picture: tariffs, the Fed, and geopolitics
Despite the positive news from Japan, the broader market remains on edge. Asian shares are on track for their best week since June, but this has been buoyed by growing speculation of a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut, even as tariff headlines continue to jolt sentiment.
In his latest trade salvo, President Donald Trump escalated tensions by targeting India and imposing a 39% levy on Swiss exports to the US, all while simultaneously claiming he’s “getting very close to a deal” with China.
In geopolitical news, Israel’s security cabinet has reportedly approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to take full control of Gaza City in a final push to topple Hamas and end the 22 months of fighting.
Separately, President Trump said he’d be willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even if Putin hadn’t yet agreed to also sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Developments at the US Federal Reserve are also being closely watched. Fed Governor Christopher Waller is reportedly emerging as a top candidate to serve as the central bank’s chair among President Trump’s advisers as they look for a replacement for Jerome Powell.
President Trump also announced that he had chosen Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve as a Fed governor.
“Having more dovish Federal Reserve governor on the table is definitely better,” said Ivy Ng, a CIO at DWS, in a Bloomberg TV interview. “But in the end, the Federal Reserve is still more data driven, so we focus a lot on the economic data.”
Indian markets poised for a weaker start
Indian equity benchmarks, the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, are set to open lower on the last day of the week, tracking mixed cues from global peers and facing persistent concerns about steep US tariff hikes on India.
At 8:20 am, GIFT Nifty futures were down 52 points at 24,643, signaling a weak opening for the benchmark indices.
This follows a session on Thursday where the Indian equity market had managed to end higher in choppy trade, shrugging off early jitters sparked by President Trump’s announcement of fresh tariffs on Indian imports.
After falling nearly 0.9% in early trade, the benchmark indices recovered to end in positive terrain, driven by value buying in IT and pharma stocks. The BSE Sensex ended Thursday 79.27 points, or 0.1%, higher at 80,623, while the NSE Nifty closed up by 21.95 points, or 0.09%, at 24,596.15.
Commodities and currencies
In commodity markets, gold futures in New York surged after a Financial Times report stated that bullion bars from Switzerland could face a US import tariff.
The most-active contract jumped to an all-time intraday high above $3,534 an ounce in New York. Oil, however, headed for its biggest weekly loss since June.
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