Asian markets settled mostly down on Friday ahead the US Personal Consumption Expenditure data, the Fed's preferred inflation measure due later in the day, which is expected to play a crucial role in shaping Fed's interest rate path under the incoming Trump administration. Meanwhile, investors were also cautious over a potential US government shutdown. Chinese shares fell after China’s central bank kept its loan prime rates unchanged. The People's Bank of China kept its one-year loan prime rate steady at 3.1% and its five-year loan prime rate at 3.6%. Japanese shares declined after data showed the annual inflation rate in Japan climbed to 2.9% in November 2024 from 2.3% in the prior month, marking the highest reading since October 2023. Moreover, South Korean shares tumbled after the US Federal Reserve signalled a slowdown in the pace of rate cuts.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,368.07 | -1.96 | -0.06 |
| Hang Seng | 19,720.70 | -31.81 | -0.16 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,983.86 | 6.62 | 0.09 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,591.41 | -8.68 | -0.54 |
| Nikkei 225 | 38,701.90 | -111.68 | -0.29 |
| Straits Times | 3,719.93 | -42.95 | -1.15 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,404.15 | -31.78 | -1.32 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 22,510.25 | -422.00 | -1.87 |
