Asian equities ended Thursday on a mixed note as investors weighed the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and cautious comments from Chair Jerome Powell.
Powell warned that rising goods prices were feeding through to inflation and said the central bank expected price pressures to build into next year.
China and Hong Kong stocks decline
Mainland Chinese shares fell sharply amid renewed trade tensions after China’s internet regulator banned domestic tech companies from buying Nvidia’s chips.
At the same time, separate reports indicated Beijing would end its antitrust probe into Google’s Android dominance in the domestic smartphone market.
The Shanghai Composite index dropped 1.15 percent to close at 3,831.66 ahead of a scheduled phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
The CSI 300 also slipped 1.4 percent.
In Hong Kong, stocks retreated as the Fed’s stance signalled caution on the pace of future rate cuts.
The Hang Seng Index fell 1.4 percent to 26,554.85 after briefly topping 27,000 points earlier in the session, while the Hang Seng Tech Index eased 1 percent.
Among key movers, Tencent Holdings lost 3 percent to HK$642, Midea Group slid 2.6 percent to HK$83.55, Anta Sports Products fell 2.5 percent to HK$94.30, and NetEase declined 2.4 percent to HK$240.40.
Gains in Baidu, which rose 1.4 percent to HK$132.80, and Pop Mart International, which surged 4.6 percent to HK$267.20, helped limit losses.
Japan stocks rally
Japanese shares advanced on optimism around the economy and AI demand.
The Nikkei average climbed 1.15 percent to 45,303.43. It hit a new high of 45,508 earlier in the session.
Technology and semiconductor-related stocks led the gains. The Topix added 0.41 percent to 3,158.87.
The yen eased from recent highs after fiscal dove Sanae Takaichi announced her candidacy for the ruling LDP’s leadership election.
Other regional stocks
South Korean markets also posted strong gains, with the Kospi up 1.4 percent at 3,461.30.
Samsung Electronics surged 2.9 percent to 80,500 won, breaching the 80,000-won mark for the first time in over a year on expectations of stronger earnings. SK Hynix jumped 5.9 percent.
In Australia, stocks fell after weaker-than-expected August employment figures.
The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.83 percent to 8,745.20, while the broader All Ordinaries index shed 0.70 percent to 9,030.90. Mining and energy shares led the declines.
Indian equity benchmarks extended gains on Wednesday with the Nifty closing above 25,400, supported by buying in IT and pharma shares.
At the close, the Sensex advanced 320.25 points, or 0.39 percent, to 83,013.96, while the Nifty rose 93.35 points, or 0.37 percent, to 25,423.60.
Sector-wise, IT gained 0.8 percent, pharma climbed 1.5 percent, metals rose 0.3 percent, and private banks added 0.4 percent. On the downside, energy, media, and capital goods indices fell 0.3 percent each.
Among individual stocks, HDFC Life, Infosys, Eternal, Cipla, and Sun Pharma were among the top Nifty gainers.
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