Australian Market Slightly Lower

Overall consumer prices in the Tokyo region of Japan were up 2.9 percent on year in July, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday.

Canadian stock market retreated from record highs on Thursday as investors opted for profit-taking amid ongoing talks with the U.S. for tariff finalization moving without a breakthrough. After opening just below Wednesday's close, the benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index, slid for a while but managed to rise and hit an intra-day high of 27,479.01 before noon. However, unable to hold on the momentum, it slid down for the rest of the trading session to finally settle at 27,372.26, down by 44.15 or 0.16 percent. As countries are pacing up their efforts to secure a trade agreement with the U.S. with the deadline for "reciprocal tariffs" suspension period close by, Canadian diplomats are seriously negotiating with their US counterparts for a beneficial agreement. Accusing Canada of failing to check illicit drug entry into the U.S. via US-Canadian borders, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to slam Canada with 35 percent levies on top of the already-existing tariffs. Trump has already imposed a 25 percent blanket tariffs on certain Canadian imports and a 50 percent levy on aluminum and steel. Stakes for Canada are high in this trade war as 75 percent of Canadian exports are primarily directed to the U.S. PM Mark Carney has reiterated that Canada cannot settle for a "bad deal" by ignoring what it costs to Canadian economy. While bilateral talks continue, Carney has also stepped up measures to find ways to cut budgetary spends massively to rebuild the economy. He has encouraged the ministers and business houses to find marketplaces outside of U.S. for Canadian exports. Data released by Statistics Canada revealed that retail sales in Canada bounced back by around 1.6 percent in June, month-on-month. Retail sales increased 4.90 percent in May 2025 compared to May 2024, year-on-year. Meanwhile, retail turnover fell by 1.1 percent from May. Results of Business Outlook Survey by BoC released last week revealed that business owners are less pessimistic about a recession now than they were a year prior. As employment data revealed gain in jobs and a decline in the jobless rates days before, expectations are slim that Bank of Canada will make any changes in the lending rates in their announcement scheduled for July 30. Major sectors that gained in Thursday's trading were real estate (1.06 percent), energy (0.95 percent), healthcare (0.89 percent), and consumer staples (0.48 percent). Among the individual stocks, Colliers International Group Inc (1.76 percent), Vermillion Energy Inc (3.40 percent), Athabasca Oil Corp (2.99 percent), and Bausch Health Companies Inc (2.44 percent) were the prominent gainers. Major sectors that lost were financials, IT, consumer discretionary and materials. Among the individual stocks, Blackberry Ltd (3.05 percent), Bitfarms Ltd (2.87 percent), Orla Mining Ltd (14.36 percent), and Teck Resources Ltd (8.67 percent) were the notable losers. Firstservice Corp (8.89 percent), Energy Fuels Inc (5.52 percent), and Whitecap Resources Inc (5.89 percent) were among the prime market-moving stocks.

The Malaysia stock market has moved higher in two straight sessions, gathering more than 20 points or 1.3 percent along the way. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,540-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Friday.

The Japanese stock market has moved higher in consecutive trading days, gathering more than 1,050 points or 2.5 percent in that span. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 41,825-point plateau although investors may lock in gains on Friday.

The South Korea stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, collecting more than 20 points or 0.6 percent along the way. The KOSPI now sits just above the 3,190-point plateau and it may tick higher again on Friday.

Japan will on Friday release July figures for Tokyo inflation, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In June, both overall and core CPI were up 3.1 percent on year.

The euro climbed against its major counterparts in the New York session on Thursday, as upbeat earnings from Google parent Alphabet lifted tech shares.

The Switzerland market stayed a bit positive in early trades on Thursday, but retreated around mid morning and then spent the rest of the day's session in negative territory, as investors stayed largely cautious, reacting to earnings and awaiting news from the trade front.