Asian shares were mostly higher on Thursday despite losses on Wall Street overnight. Japan’s Nikkei 225 bounced back from early declines, gaining 0.3% to 45,768.68. Minutes from the Bank of Japan’s July meeting showed officials are willing to raise interest rates if economic growth and prices improve.
In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.1% to 26,542.37, and the Shanghai Composite rose nearly 0.2% to 3,860.22, supported by strong performance in technology stocks. South Korea’s Kospi index slipped less than 0.1% to 3,471.66 amid concerns over competitiveness after the U.S. cut auto tariffs on EU imports to 15%, while Korean vehicles remain at 25%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose more than 0.1% to 8,775.00. India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.5%, and Taiwan’s Taiex fluctuated before closing 0.4% lower.
Wall Street indexes drifted lower on Wednesday as worries resurfaced about high share prices. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to 6,637.97 for a second modest loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 171 points, or 0.4%, to 46,121.28, and the Nasdaq fell 0.3% to 22,497.86. All three indexes remain close to all-time highs set earlier this week.
U.S. stocks have slowed after a rapid rally since hitting lows in April. Gains have been supported by hopes that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will not disrupt global trade and that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to boost the economy. The rally’s size has raised concerns about overvalued stock prices, especially if the Fed delivers fewer rate cuts than traders expect.
Micron Technology’s shares fell 2.8% despite reporting stronger-than-expected profits and revenue. The company also gave a robust profit forecast for the current quarter. Micron’s stock had already surged 97.7% this year, showing the market’s high expectations.
Freeport-McMoRan lost 17% after lowering its third-quarter sales forecasts for copper and gold. In contrast, Lithium Americas soared 95.8% after reports that the U.S. government may acquire a stake in the company, which is developing a Nevada lithium project with General Motors. Homebuilders also gained following stronger-than-expected U.S. new home sales in August.
Early Thursday trading saw U.S. crude oil fall 26 cents to $64.73 per barrel, while Brent crude declined 24 cents to $68.22 per barrel. The U.S. dollar slipped to 148.73 Japanese yen from 148.78 yen, and the euro rose to $1.1748 from $1.1744.
Asian markets remain cautious as investors weigh global economic trends, corporate earnings, and central bank policies, seeking direction amid mixed signals from Wall Street and regional economies.
