Asian markets trade mostly lower in early deals on Thursday

31 Jul 2025 Evaluate
Asian markets traded mostly lower in early deals on Thursday, as announcement of a blanket 15% tariff on South Korean exports and 25% on Indian imports has raised concerns among investors. China’s official manufacturing PMI signalled a sharper-than-expected contraction in July, while growth in the services sector slowed, to an eight-month low level. Hang Seng slipped for the third straight session and is on track for its third straight monthly gain, up around 3.3% so far, boosted by optimism over a possible extension of the 90-day US-China tariff truce, though no concrete progress emerged from the recent talks in Stockholm, and President Trump has yet to decide.

Hang Seng down by 325.93 points or 1.31% to 24,851.00, Straits Times dipped by 23.97 points or 0.57% to 4,195.44, Jakarta Composite curtailed by 24.84 points or 0.33% to 7,525.05, KOSPI Index narrowed by 14.81 points or 0.46% to 3,239.66, Shanghai Composite declined by 21.53 points or 0.60% to 3,594.19, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia slipped 6.45 points or 0.42% to 1,518.05.

On the flip side, Nikkei 225 up by 388.30 points or 0.96% to 41,043.00, and Taiwan Weighted rose by 57.72 points or 0.25% to 23,519.44.

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