Asian equities recovered on Thursday as optimism around U.S. tariff negotiations coincided with key macro releases and central bank scrutiny. Investors also eyed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TW:2330) upcoming Q1 results for insights into the chip sector’s momentum.
Tariff Talks Ease Some Concerns
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U.S.–Japan Negotiations: President Trump said “big progress” was made in talks with a Japanese trade delegation, marking the start of formal negotiations to resolve U.S. tariff tensions.
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China Open to Dialogue: A Bloomberg report revealed Beijing is willing to begin trade talks—provided the U.S. grants it “more respect.”
Macro Highlights
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Bank of Korea Rate Decision: All eyes were on Seoul as the Bank of Korea met to set its policy rate amid global policy divergence.
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Japan Trade Data: March exports and imports figures were released, reflecting early signs of trade flows under the new tariff regime.
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Australia Jobs Report: Employment data for March showed whether labor market strength can offset rising household pressures.
Market Performance
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Japan:
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Nikkei 225: +1.1%
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TOPIX: +1.0%
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Australia: S&P/ASX 200: +0.5%
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Singapore: Straits Times Index: +0.6%
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China:
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Shanghai Composite: +0.2%
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CSI 300: Flat
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Hong Kong: Hang Seng: +1.7%
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India: Nifty 50 opened –0.4%
U.S. futures also traded higher after Wednesday’s sharp declines in major benchmarks.
Sector and Company Watch
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Tech & Autos: Continued sensitivity to tariff exemptions kept semiconductor and automotive stocks in focus ahead of TSMC’s earnings release.
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Financials: Banks and insurers remained cautious around central bank decisions and trade-driven growth risks.
Track Key Economic Releases
To follow these and other important macro indicators—like interest rate announcements, trade stats, and jobs data—use the
đź”— Economics Calendar – Economics Data API from Financial Modeling Prep.
This provides real‑time scheduling and historical data on global economic events.
Asian markets rallied on the back of easing trade rhetoric and a slate of pivotal economic updates, but upcoming data releases and TSMC’s results will be critical in determining if the rebound can be sustained.
