Asian Markets Trade Mixed

(RTTNews) - Asian stock markets are trading mixed on Wednesday, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders assess the impact a temporary US-China tariff war settlement, under which tariffs will be reduced to 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively, for a 90-day period. They also cautiously await trade deals with other major US trading partners. Asian markets closed mixed on Tuesday.

Australian shares are trading slightly lower on Wednesday, snapping a five-session winning streak, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 staying well below the 8,300 level, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, with a mixed performance across most sectors. Traders are also booking some profits following the recent upside in the markets.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is losing 7.20 points or 0.09 percent to 8,261.80, after hitting a low of 8,247.00 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is down 2.90 points or 0.03 percent to 8,507.80. Australian stocks ended modestly higher on Tuesday.

Among major miners, BHP Group and Rio Tinto are edging down 0.2 to 0.5 percent each, while Mineral Resources is gaining more than 1 percent and Fortescue metals is edging up 0.3 percent.

Oil stocks are mostly higher. Woodside Energy is adding almost 4 percent, Santos is advancing more than 2 percent and Beach energy is gaining more than 1 percent, while Origin Energy is losing more than 1 percent.

In the tech space, Afterpay owner Block is surging more than 5 percent, WiseTech Global is gaining more than 1 percent, Zip is advancing more than 5 percent and Appen is edging up 0.5 percent, while Xero is edging down 0.1 percent.

Among the big four banks, Commonwealth Bank is gaining almost 1 percent, while Westpac is edging down 0.4 percent. National Australia bankand ANZ Banking are flat.

Among gold miners, Evolution Mining is gaining more than 1 percent, Gold Road Resources is up more than 1 percent and Resolute Mining is adding more than 2 percent, while Newmont and Northern Star Resources are losing more than 2 percent each.

In other news, shares in Aristocrat Leisure are tumbling more than 13 percent after the gaming technology company reported downbeat half-year results.

Shares in Insignia Financial are plunging more than 15 percent after the Bain Capital pulled out from takeover talks amid volatility in global capital markets.

In the currency market, the Aussie dollar is trading at $0.648 on Wednesday.

The Japanese stock market is trading significantly lower on Wednesday after opening in the green, snapping a four-session winning streak, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 is falling below the 37,900 level, with weakness in exporters and automaker stocks partially offset by gains in technology and financial stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index closed the morning session at 37,874.59, down 308.67 points or 0.81 percent, after hitting a low of 37,865.22 and a high of 38,325.88 earlier. Japanese stocks ended sharply higher on Tuesday.

Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is gaining almost 3 percent, while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing is losing almost 1 percent. Among automakers, Honda is losing almost 3 percent and Toyota is declining more than 3 percent.

In the tech space, Advantest is surging almost 5 percent, Screen Holdings is adding almost 3 percent and Tokyo Electron is gaining almost 1 percent.

In the banking sector, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial is gaining more than 1 percent, Mizuho Financial is edging up 0.5 percent and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial is adding almost 2 percent.

Among the major exporters, Canon is edging down 0.1 percent, Sony is declining almost 4 percent, Panasonic sliding more than 4 percent and Mitsubishi Electric is losing almost 2 percent.

Among other major losers, Yaskawa Electric, Idemitsu Kosan and Japan Steel Works are tumbling more than 5 percent each, while Taiheiyo Cement, Casio Computer and Nichirei are losing almost 5 percent each. Sapporo Holdings, Yamaha Motor and Nitori Holdings are declining more than 4 percent each, while Isuzu Motors, Mitsui Chemicals, Subaru and Tokyo Tatemono are slipping almost 4 percent each. Daiwa House Industry is down more than 3 percent.

Conversely, NEXON is skyrocketing more than 12 percent and Sumitomo Pharma is soaring more than 9 percent, while Disco and Marui Group are surging more than 8 percent each. Mitsui Mining & Smelting and Fujikura are advancing almost 6 percent each, while Dai Nippon Printing is gaining more than 4 percent. Socionext is adding almost 4 percent and Resona Holdings is up more than 3 percent, while Ryohin Keikaku and Isetan Mitsukoshi are rising almost 3 percent each. Socionext Inc.

In economic news, producer prices in Japan were up 0.2 percent on month in April, the Bank of Japan said on Wednesday - slowing from 0.4 percent in March. On a yearly basis, producer prices were up 4.0 percent - slowing from the upwardly revised 4.3 percent increase in the previous month. Export prices were down 0.3 percent on month and 0.4 percent on year, the bank said, while import prices sank 0.6 percent on month and 2.6 percent on year.

In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the lower 147 yen-range on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in Asia, New Zealand is up 0.1 percent, while Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia are higher by between 0.8 and 1.7 percent each. China, Singapore and Malaysia are lower by between 0.1 and 0.5 percent each. On the Wall Street, stocks turned in another strong performance during trading on Tuesday after moving sharply higher over the course of Monday's session. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 reached their best closing levels in well over two months, with the S&P 500 turning positive for 2025.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 pulled back off their best levels going into the end of the day but remained firmly positive. The Nasdaq jumped 301.74 points or 1.6 percent to 19,010.08 and the S&P 500 climbed 42.36 points or 0.7 percent to 5,886.55. The narrower Dow, on the other hand, spent most of the day in negative territory before closing down 269.67 points or 0.6 percent at 42,140.43.

Meanwhile, the major European markets moved modestly higher on the day. The German DAX Index and the French CAC 40 Index both rose by 0.3 percent, although the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index closed just below the unchanged line.

Crude oil prices showed another significant move to the upside on Tuesday, reaching its highest closing level in almost a month on optimism about the outlook for demand. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery surged $1.72 or 2.8 percent to $63.67 a barrel.