Asia stock markets today: live updates

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 benchmark ended the day 0.61% lower at 8,538.60.

Indian stocks fell at the open on Wednesday, amid mixed trade in the other key indexes in Asia-Pacific.

The 50-stock benchmark Nifty 50 moved down 0.13% while the Sensex index dropped 0.17% as at 11.50 a.m. Singapore time.

Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark was flat while the broader Topix index added 0.34%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.46%, while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced by 0.54%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.78% while the mainland’s CSI 300 index rose 0.34% in choppy trade.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark fell 0.32%.

— Amala Balakrishner

South Korean defense stocks rallied Wednesday following U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments that the country should be paying for its own military protection.

“South Korea is making a lot of money, and they’re very good. They’re very good, but, you know, they should be paying for their own military,” Trump reportedly told the media at a meeting of his Cabinet at the White House.

“It’s very unfair. We supply the militaries to many very successful countries,” he added.

Gains were led by SNT Dynamics and LIG Nex1 which surged 9.45% and 8.21%, respectively, as of 11.55 a.m. local time.

Strong moves were also seen in Poongshan which gained 5.32%, Firstec which rose 5.19% and Hyundai Rotem which advanced 4.77%.

— Amala Balakrishner

Investors have been keeping a close watch on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff deadlines on countries.

This, however, makes for an “unhelpful distraction diverting attention away from greater underlying geo-economic threats,” Vishnu Varathan, head of Macro Research, Asia ex-Japan at Mizuho Securities says.

The levy deadlines “distract from far more consequential, and expedient, sectoral tariffs, which arguably reverberate across global industrial eco-systems,” he wrote in a Wednesday note.

They are also a “bait and switch” risk as sectoral tariffs may still weigh on regions, “regardless of ‘reciprocal trade deals’,” he added. For instance, sectoral tariffs could hit equities from a particular sector differently across countries based on the trade deal it has with the U.S.

Looking ahead, Varathan said that a real “danger” is underestimating the fallout when, rather than if, China hits back.

“Asia generally is more vulnerable, given dependence on both U.S. and China casting a shadow on sustained AXJ [Asia-ex Japan] buoyancy through further tariff shifts. ASEAN in particular may feel more acute squeeze between China and U.S.,” he explained.

— Amala Balakrishner

Australian gold mining stocks saw substantial declines Wednesday as prices of the bullion hovered around the flatline on uncertainties over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff plans.

Spot gold was flat against the dollar at $3,300.88 per ounce, as of 10.01 a.m. Singapore time.

Losses among Australian miners were led by Evolution Mining, which plunged 8.80%.

Declines were also seen in Kingsgate Consolidated which fell 6.35%, Bellevue Gold, which retreated by 5.70%, Newmont Corporation which dropped 5.14%.

— Amala Balakrishner

Chinese and Hong Kong-listed stocks started the day lower Wednesday amid mixed trading in other key Asia-Pacific markets.

As of 9.40 a.m. local time, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index had fallen 0.83% while the mainland’s CSI 300 index was flat.

The moves come as China’s producer price index plunged 3.6% in June from a year earlier, marking its largest decline in nearly two years. Meanwhile, its consumer price index edged 0.1% higher in June from a year ago.

Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark had fallen 0.15% while the broader Topix index ticked up 0.19%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index added 0.43% while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 0.44%.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark fell 0.43%.

— Amala Balakrishner

Copper prices slipped on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on exports of the metal to the U.S.

The three-month benchmark copper futures on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.35% at $9,829.50 a ton as of 8.45 a.m. Singapore time.

Analysts at Citi Investment Research consider this a “turning point for the copper market, which can catalyze imminent downside in ex-US pricing and spread tightness.”

“The clarity around tariff implementation timing is key for ex-U.S. pricing as it ends the temporary and substantial draw on ex-U.S. physical units to the U.S. observed in recent months,” they wrote in a Wednesday note.

The analysts foresee a pullback in copper futures traded outside the U.S., with prices expected to drop to around $8,800 per ton within the next three months.

— Amala Balakrishner

Asia-Pacific markets started the day mixed Wednesday.

As of 8.11 a.m. Singapore time, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark added 0.33% while the broader Topix index ticked up 0.17%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index was flat while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 0.29%.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark fell 0.26%.

— Amala Balakrishner

Good morning from Singapore.

Investors will also be keeping a close watch on a slew of data points from China today, including the producer price index for June. Economists polled by Reuters expect the figure to contract by 3.2% year on year, compared with the 3.3% decline in the month before. Meanwhile, the country’s consumer price inflation reading is forecast to come in flat year on year, from a 0.1% decline in May.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 40,055 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39820, against the index’s Tuesday close of 39,688.81.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 24,102 pointing to a stronger open compared to the HSI’s last close of 24,148,07.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was also set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,571, compared to its last close of 8,590.70.

U.S. stock futures were little changed in early Asian hours as investors monitor the latest Trump’s tariff updates.

Overnight stateside two of the three key benchmarks on Wall Street ended near the flatline.

The broad-based S&P 500 benchmark inched down 0.07%, ending at 6,225.52, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.03% and closed at 20,418.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 165.60 points, or 0.37%, settling at 44,240.76.

— Amala Balakrishner, Lisa Kailai Han and Sarah Min