Asian markets settle mostly higher on Thursday
Chinese shares buoyed by investors optimism surrounding potential stimulus measures from the Chinese government
Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei index gaining tracking Wall Street’s gains overnight following strong hopes of another rate cut from the Federal Reserve in December. Market sentiments improved further as Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s government is reportedly planning to issue at least 11.5 trillion yen in additional bonds to fund its massive economic package. Chinese shares buoyed by investors optimism surrounding potential stimulus measures from the Chinese government, despite data that showed profits for the first ten months of 2025 at major Chinese industrial firms rose a lackluster 1.9% year-on-year, down from 3.2% growth in the previous period. Seoul shares rose after the Bank of Korea also kept its policy rate steady at 2.5%, supporting financial stability amid a weakening Korean won and market concerns on rising housing prices.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,875.26 | 11.08 | 0.29 |
| Hang Seng | 25,945.93 | 17.85 | 0.07 |
| Jakarta Composite | 8,545.86 | -56.27 | -0.66 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,617.46 | -7.04 | -0.43 |
| Nikkei 225 | 50,167.1 | 608.03 | 1.23 |
| Straits Times | 4,509.34 | 7.78 | 0.17 |
| KOSPI Composite | 3,986.91 | 26.04 | 0.66 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 27,554.53 | 144.99 | 0.53 |
