Shanghai, China – Markets in the Asia-Pacific region experienced gains on Wednesday following a positive performance on Wall Street, driven by optimism surrounding potential developments in U.S.-China trade relations. The reassurance came after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S. would not reach the previously speculated 145%.
Trump’s announcement also included a statement that tariffs would not reach 0%, assuaging concerns within the financial markets. In addition, Trump expressed his lack of intention to remove Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell from his position prematurely, further calming investors about the central bank’s independence.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong led the region’s gains with a 2.48% increase, while the Hang Seng Tech Index surged by 3.21%. Mainland China’s CSI 300 index saw a moderate rise of 0.22%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced by 2.09%, complemented by a 2.05% rise in the broader Topix index.
Market movements extended to India, where the benchmark Nifty 50 registered a 0.64% increase alongside a 0.56% rise in the BSE Sensex. South Korea’s Kospi index gained 1.51%, with the smaller Kosdaq index up by 0.93%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also saw positive movement, rising by 1.22%.
Following Trump’s comments, U.S. futures showed a significant jump, reflecting increased investor confidence. The previous session on Wall Street saw a rebound from steep declines, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising by 1,016.57 points, or 2.66%. The S&P 500 gained 2.51%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose by 2.71%.