Capturing a panoramic view of an elevated overpass in Shanghai during the evening from a high-rise structure
Guowei Ying | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets commenced trading mostly lower on Monday as the April 2 tariff deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump approaches.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 experienced a decline of 0.37%.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Kospi fell by 0.36%, and the small-cap Kosdaq edged down by 0.05%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 increased by 0.28% at the opening, while the Topix rose by 0.13%.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were last recorded at 23,657, below the last close of HSI at 23,689.72. Over the weekend, China’s Premier Li Qiang warned of “rising instability” and urged nations to enhance market and enterprise openness.
U.S. stock futures indicated a positive trend, suggesting that equities could continue to build on their recent gains.
Last Friday, U.S. markets saw all three major averages finish higher. The indexes rebounded from earlier lows after Trump noted some potential “flexibility” regarding tariffs. However, he reaffirmed the April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs.
The S&P 500 increased by 0.08%, closing at 5,667.56, marking a return to positive territory after four consecutive weeks of declines resulting from trade policy uncertainty, recession fears, and a decline in megacap tech stocks. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.52%, settling at 17,784.05, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up by 32.03 points, or 0.08%, to close at 41,985.35.
This report includes contributions from CNBC’s Brian Evans, Sean Conlon, and Hakyung Kim.
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