Anshun bridge reflecting in the Jinjiang river at dusk in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
© Philippe Lejeanvre | Moment Open | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Friday as investors assessed China data and monitored escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump is now weighing on whether to back the Israeli military and strike Tehran. The White House said that he will make a final decision within the next two weeks.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 index started the day flat, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.56% after the People’s Bank of China expectedly kept its loan rates unchanged at 3.0% for the 1-year loan prime rate and 3.5% for the 5-year LPR.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 0.14% and the broader Topix index fell 0.25% in choppy trade.
The country’s core inflation rate climbed to 3.7% in May, its highest level since January 2023. The metric — which strips out costs for fresh food — was higher than the 3.6% expected by economists polled by Reuters and is above April’s print of 3.5%.
In South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.65% while the small-cap Kosdaq climbed 0.73%.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.61% in choppy trade.
U.S. stock futures fell in early Asian hours as investors investors pored through the latest developments in the Middle East.
Overnight stateside, regular trading was closed for the Juneteenth holiday.
— CNBC’s Brian Evans contributed to this report.