Asian markets were mostly higher Thursday, driven by technology stocks, following a mixed session on Wall Street that left indexes close to record levels after the Federal Reserve cut its main interest rate.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to 45,365.98, boosted by tech firms such as Disco, Tokyo Electron, and SoftBank. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan began its two-day policy meeting, with no changes in interest rates expected. South Korea’s Kospi rose nearly 1.3% to 3,455.98, supported by gains in chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

China’s markets showed mixed performance: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.2% to 26,856.02, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% to 3,893.95 amid optimism over U.S.-China trade talks and a potential TikTok deal. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.5% to 8,778.60 after data showed August unemployment steady at 4.2%, with overall employment declining. India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.4%, and Taiwan’s Taiex added 1.1%.

Asian shares mixed as Wall Street slips from record highs, focus shifts to Fed rate cut

On Wall Street Wednesday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, the Dow Jones rose 0.6%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. The Fed’s first rate cut of the year met expectations, but its updated projections suggesting two more cuts this year and one in 2026 drew investor attention. Fed Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that projections are not guarantees, highlighting challenges from a slowing job market and persistent inflation.

In commodities, U.S. crude fell 10 cents to $63.95 per barrel, Brent lost 10 cents to $67.85. The dollar rose to 147.07 yen, while the euro slipped to $1.1813.

Source: Agency