Asian markets trade mostly lower in early deals on Friday

01 Aug 2025 Evaluate
Asian markets traded mostly lower in early deals on Friday, pressured by the risk aversion in the market after the President Trump’s introduction of higher tariffs on multiple countries. Trump reaffirmed a 10% global base tariff and imposed retaliatory duties of up to 41% on nations without trade agreements with the US, as well as a 40% levy on goods suspected of being rerouted through third countries to bypass existing tariffs. Participants side-lined as they awaited crucial US jobs data that could gauge Federal Reserve rate decisions. Contraction in China’s manufacturing activity as per a private survey dampened sentiments. Hang Seng fell for the fourth straight session and is on track for its first weekly decline in four, down about 2.7%. While South Korea’s KOSPI plunged the most Asian indices marking steepest slip in nearly four months, followed by government plans to roll back tax cuts on corporate income and stock investments. South Korea's manufacturing sector experienced a decline for the sixth straight month in July, with the S&P Global Manufacturing PMI narrowing to 48.0 from 48.7 in June. This downturn was marked by a more pronounced decrease in both production and new orders, indicating ongoing challenges in the industry.

Nikkei 225 down by 178.82 points or 0.44% to 40,891.00, Hang Seng slipped by 110.33 points or 0.45% to 24,663.00, Straits Times dipped by 3.08 points or 0.07% to 4,170.69, KOSPI Index plunged by 114.57 points or 3.53% to 3,130.87, Taiwan Weighted curtailed by 170.87 points or 0.73% to 23,371.65, and Shanghai Composite declined by 6.66 points or 0.19% to 3,566.55, 

On the flip side, Jakarta Composite up by 87.33 points or 1.17% to 7,571.67, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia added 18.13 points or 1.20% to 1,531.38.

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