Investors Mull Reciprocal Tariffs, Asia Mixed

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday, after Wall Street rose overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plan, but did not enact the levies immediately.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index dumped 312.04 points, or 0.8%, to 39,149.43. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index took off like a Saturn rocket, catapulted 805.96 points, or 3.7%, to 22,629.33. The index is on track to its highest weekly gain since October.Korean markets made slight gains, as the country’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 2.9% in January, easing from its three-year high of 3.7% in the month before.In Southeast Asia, Singapore’s economy expanded by 4.4% in 2024, its fastest growth since 2021, data from the Ministry of Trade and Industry shows. GDP was up 5% year on year in the fourth-quarter of 2024, surpassing the 4.7% growth rate expected by Reuters.Investors have been watching the city-state’s Straits Times Index which hit an all-time high at the start of the week. In other marketsThe CSI 300 in mainland China recovered 33.87, or 0.9% to 3,939.01In Taiwan, the Taiex index shed 246.80 points, or 1.1%, to 23,152.61.In Singapore, the Straits Times index lost 5.08 points, or 0.1%, to 3,877.50In Korea, the Kospi index notched higher 7.88 points, or 0.3%, to 2,591.05.In New Zealand, the NZX 50 sprang back up 83.2 points, or 0.6%, to 12,989.18In Australia, the ASX 200 gained 15.85 points, or 0.2%, to 8,555.81.