Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday as investors parsed Japan’s trade data.
Japan’s exports in November grew 6.1% year on year, data from the country’s finance ministry released Wednesday showed. The growth sharply beat expectations of an average 4.8% rise estimated by economists polled by Reuters, and was higher than the 3.6% seen in the previous month.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.26% to close at 49,512.28, while the Topix closed around the flatline at 3,369.39. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.43% to 4,056.41 and the small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.55% to 911.07.
Japanese financial institution SBI Shinsei Bank rose over 12% after a 322 billion yen ($2.1 billion) IPO. The shares were priced at 1,450 yen each.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.16% to 8,585.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 0.97%, while the CSI 300 on mainland China was 1.83% higher at 4,579.88.
Shares of Chinese chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits soared more than 700% in their market debut in Shanghai on Wednesday, after the company raised nearly $600 million in its initial public offering. Similar to Moore Threads, which saw a robust debut at the start of the month, MetaX develops graphics processing units for artificial intelligence applications, tapping into a fast-growing sector driven by rising adoption of AI services.
Shares of crypto exchange HashKey opened about 3% higher as it debuted on the Hong Kong stock exchange, after raising about $207 million in its initial public offering.
Oil prices climbed after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media platform Truth Social that he will be ordering a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” entering and leaving Venezuela.
West Texas Intermediate rose over 1% to $55.96 per barrel. U.S. crude oil prices fell nearly 3% on Tuesday to close at the lowest level since early 2021, as a looming surplus and possible peace agreement in Ukraine weigh on the market.
Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 fell for a third session as traders digested the delayed release of the November jobs report.
The broad market index dropped 0.24% to settle at 6,800.26, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.23% to end at 23,111.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 302.30 points, or 0.62%, to close at 48,114.26.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
Source: CNBC