Asia-Pacific markets poised to trade lower; Bank of Korea policy decision in focus

Asia-Pacific markets were poised to trade lower Thursday as investors await the Bank of Korea policy decision.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was on course to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 42,470 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 42,450, against the index’s last close of 42,520.27

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was also set to start the day lower, with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,938, compared with the index’s last close of 8,960.5.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 24,997, pointing to a lower open compared to the HSI’s last close of 25,201.76.

Attention will turn to India’s markets once they reopen following Wednesday’s holiday closure. Secondary U.S. tariffs of 25% on Indian shipments kicked in Wednesday, pushing overall duties on the country’s exports to 50%.

“The risks to growth for the Indian economy have naturally become more real,” Barclays wrote in a note. India’s top exports to the U.S., which are electrical machinery as well as gems and jewelry, face the largest tariff increases, said the bank. Its analysts, however, expect trade talks between the Indian and U.S. delegations to continue.

Asian chip stocks will also be in the spotlight after Nvidia reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue on Wednesday, and said sales growth this quarter will remain above 50%. The stock, which is up 35% this year after almost tripling in 2024, slipped in extended trading, however, as data center revenue fell short of estimates for the second straight period.

Overnight, the three major benchmarks closed higher stateside. The S&P 500 ticked higher and ended the day up 0.24% at 6,481.40, setting a fresh all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.21% at 21,590.14, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 147.16 points, or 0.32%, to finish at 45,565.23.

— CNBC’s Kif Lewsing, Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.