Major Asian stock market indices displayed negative trend today. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index plunged over one per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed almost one per cent, China’s Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2 per cent, and Singapore’s Straits Times index dipped 0.1 per cent. In contrast, South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.4 per cent to close at a new peak of 6,641, after touching an all-time high of 6,712 during intraday trade.
On the economic front, Japan’s central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.75 per cent while raising its inflation outlook due to supply-side risks stemming from the West Asia conflict. The Bank of Japan also lowered its fiscal 2026 growth forecast to 0.5 per cent from 1 per cent and sharply increased its core inflation projection to 2.8 per cent from 1.9 per cent.
Major European indices were trading on a negative note today. Germany’s DAX dropped 0.4 per cent, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.2 per cent, and London’s FTSE 100 was trading flat when reports last came in.
