India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook 
Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
Dollar Holds Firm as Markets Weigh Warsh-Led Fed and Yen Weakness Ahead of Japan Election 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient 
U.S. Stock Futures Rise as Investors Eye Big Tech Earnings and AI Momentum 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
Indian Rupee Strengthens Sharply After U.S.-India Trade Deal Announcement 
Japan Finance Minister Defends PM Takaichi’s Remarks on Weak Yen Benefits 
South Korea Inflation Hits Five-Month Low as CPI Reaches Central Bank Target 
Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh U.S.-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength Caps Gains 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
Asian markets mostly declined on Wednesday, echoing Wall Street’s weak overnight performance as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data and renewed trade tariff threats from President Donald Trump rattled investor sentiment. Most indexes across the region slipped, weighed down by concerns over prolonged Federal Reserve rate hikes and global trade tensions.
Mainland Chinese markets underperformed after a mixed Q2 GDP report fueled fears of an extended economic slowdown. The Shanghai Composite and CSI 300 both dipped 0.2%. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index defied the regional trend, rising up to 0.8% on strong gains in tech stocks. Optimism surged after Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) confirmed it would resume sales of its sought-after AI chips in China, sparking rallies in local AI giants like Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU), Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), and Tencent.
Baidu further gained momentum with a 3% jump in its Hong Kong shares (HK:9888) following news of a global robotaxi partnership with Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER). Analysts say access to Nvidia’s chips could significantly boost China’s AI capabilities through leaders like ByteDance and DeepSeek.
Still, broader gains were limited due to economic worries from the mainland. Across Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX both fell 0.2%, while South Korea’s KOSPI declined 0.7%. Australia’s ASX 200 slid 0.9% on profit-taking near record highs. Singapore’s Straits Times edged slightly higher, and India’s Gift Nifty 50 Futures remained flat.
U.S. CPI data reinforced concerns over inflationary pressure from Trump’s trade policies, with the S&P 500 Futures down 0.1% in Asian trade. Trump’s latest move includes imposing 25% tariffs on imports from South Korea and Japan starting August 1, and a 19% duty on Indonesia, raising fears of escalating trade tensions across Asia.
