Asian markets climbed on Thursday amid optimism that the recent US-Japan tariff deal could pave the way for further trade agreements.
Traders are increasingly speculating that the US may soon strike a deal with the European Union, following agreements earlier this week with Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Meanwhile, European leaders were in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials on trade, climate, and global issues, though analysts expect limited progress.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped nearly 2% to 41,983.50. The Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng both rose 0.4%, to 3,595.58 and 25,631.08 respectively. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.9% to 3,211.21, supported by better-than-expected GDP growth of 0.6% in the latest quarter, driven by strong consumption and exports.
India’s Sensex added 0.7% to 82,726.64, while Australia’s ASX 200 dipped 0.1% to 8,729.20.
On Wall Street, all major US indices ended higher. The Dow climbed 1.1% to 45,010.29, the S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 6,358.97, and the Nasdaq gained 0.6% to 21,020.02.
In the bond market, the yield on 10-year US Treasuries edged up to 4.388%, from 4.372% the previous day.
