Asian Markets Mixed as Wall Street Hits Record High; Chinese Stocks Lead Gains
Asian markets were mixed on Thursday, despite Wall Street closing at an all-time high after Delta Air Lines kicked off the earnings season with a strong outlook for the remainder of 2025.
Chinese equities led regional gains, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index jumping 1.6% to 24,402.41, and the Shanghai Composite rising 1.1% to 3,546.50.
Elsewhere in Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dipped slightly by 0.1% to 39,662.19, while South Korea’s Kospi edged up 0.1% to 3,185.15. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 8,583.40, and India’s BSE Sensex was broadly unchanged at 83,190.28.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.4% to close at 44,650.64. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,280.46, while the Nasdaq gained 0.1% to finish at 20,630.66.
In the bond market, yields ticked higher, with the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield climbing to 4.351% from 4.339% the previous day.
Meanwhile, in the UK, economists expect the economy to return to modest growth in May following a sharp contraction in April. Most forecasts predict a 0.1% month-on-month rise in gross domestic product, driven largely by a recovery in the services sector.
April’s 0.3% decline — the steepest since October 2023 — was attributed to a drop in legal activity linked to the stamp duty hike, increased energy costs, higher employer National Insurance contributions, and ongoing tariff uncertainty.
