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
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.
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
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.
Japan Trade Data: March exports and imports figures were released, reflecting early signs of trade flows under the new tariff regime.
Australia Jobs Report: Employment data for March showed whether labor market strength can offset rising household pressures.
Market Performance
Japan:
Nikkei 225: +1.1%
TOPIX: +1.0%
Australia: S&P/ASX 200: +0.5%
Singapore: Straits Times Index: +0.6%
China:
Shanghai Composite: +0.2%
CSI 300: Flat
Hong Kong: Hang Seng: +1.7%
India: Nifty 50 opened –0.4%
U.S. futures also traded higher after Wednesday’s sharp declines in major benchmarks.
Sector and Company Watch
Tech & Autos: Continued sensitivity to tariff exemptions kept semiconductor and automotive stocks in focus ahead of TSMC’s earnings release.
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? 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.
