Global Markets:
- Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 1.92%, Shanghai Composite up 0.09%, Hang Seng down 0.8% ASX down 0.11%
- Commodities : Gold at $3492.35 (1.19%), Silver at $38.48 (0.65%), Brent Oil at $67.29 (-0.49%), WTI Oil at $63.8 (-0.63%)
- Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.244, UK 10-year yield at 4.5490, Germany 10-year yield at 2.6369
News & Data:
- (CAD) Unemployment rate 6.9% to 7.00% expected
- (CAD) Employment Change -44.3K to 15.3K expected
Markets Update:
Asian stock markets ended the week on a mixed note Friday, tracking uneven cues from Wall Street as investors weighed the impact of U.S. reciprocal tariffs that took effect Thursday. Uncertainty lingers as Washington keeps altering its tariff stance, adding to market jitters.
President Donald Trump announced a steep 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips, exempting companies producing in the U.S., and threatened pharmaceutical imports with levies of up to 250%. Weak U.S. economic data and poor job numbers have fueled expectations of a September Fed rate cut, which could sway global markets.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.07% to 8,824.90, with losses in financials and tech partly offset by mining gains. Block surged 7.5% on strong results, while Nick Scali and Iress rallied on upbeat corporate news.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped over 2% to 41,968.68, boosted by tech and exporter gains. SoftBank soared nearly 11% on strong earnings, while Sony rose over 6% after lifting its profit outlook.
Elsewhere in Asia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan gained, while Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea fell modestly.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq rose 0.4%, but the S&P 500 slipped 0.1% and the Dow dropped 0.5%. Oil prices eased, with WTI settling at $63.86 a barrel.
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