Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess Bank of Korea rate decision, fresh Trump tariffs

Asia markets closed mostly mixed on Thursday.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.44% to close at 39,646.36, while the Topix declined 0.56% to end the trading day at 2,812.34.

South Korea's Kospi added 1.58% to 3,183.23 and the small-cap Kosdaq closed 0.93% higher at 797.7.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.59% to end the day at 8,589.2.

Mainland China's CSI 300 rose 0.47% to 4,010.02.

— Lee Ying Shan

JPMorgan is turning more positive on Vietnam stocks after the country's trade deal announcement with the U.S., upgrading its position to overweight. This comes after Vietnam became the first Southeast Asian nation to strike a tariff deal with the U.S. at a 20% rate.

"This, combined with strong economic growth (2Q25 GDP near 8%), prompts us to upgrade Vietnam to [overweight] within ASEAN, with a new VN-Index base/bull target of 1,500/1,600 by year end," analysts led by the bank's Khoi Vu wrote in a research note.

The Vietnam Index was trading 0.78% higher at 1,442.29 as of Thursday, 12.45 p.m. local time.

— Lee Ying Shan

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index scaled to another new high Thursday, notching its fourth straight day of gains.

The country's equities climbed 0.47% to hit a fresh record of 4,077.41 points Thursday as of 11.24 a.m., data from LSEG showed.

—Lee Ying Shan

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the 50% tariff on copper imports, which he had announced the previous day, will take effect on Aug. 1.

The decision was made after he received a national security assessment, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"I am announcing a 50% TARIFF on Copper, effective August 1, 2025, after receiving a robust NATIONAL SECURITY ASSESSMENT," Trump wrote.

"Copper is necessary for Semiconductors, Aircraft, Ships, Ammunition, Data Centers, Lithium-ion Batteries, Radar Systems, Missile Defense Systems, and even, Hypersonic Weapons, of which we are building many. Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense."

Read the full story here.

— Victor Loh

South Korea's central bank held its policy rate at 2.5%, keeping it steady at an almost three-year low.

South Korea's economy contracted by 0.2% quarter on quarter in the first three months of this year due to weak construction activity and softening export growth, while it remained flat on an year on year basis.

Read the full story here.

— Lim Hui Jie

Asia-Pacific stock markets kicked off the trading day mixed.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.45% at the open, while the Topix lost 0.54%. South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.24% and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.44%.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.51% higher.

—Lee Ying Shan

Good morning from Singapore! Asia-Pacific markets are set to open mixed.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 39,925 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,910 against the index's Tuesday close of 39,821.28.

Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 23,863 pointing to a slightly weaker open compared to the HSI's last close of 23,892.32.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was also set to start the day slightly higher with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,571, compared to its last close of 8,538.6.

— Lee Ying Shan

U.S. stock futures were relatively unchanged on Wednesday evening.

S&P 500 futures hovered around the flatline just after 6 p.m. ET, as did Nasdaq 100 futures. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were likewise flat.

— Sean Conlon

The Nasdaq Composite closed at an all-time record high on Wednesday afternoon.

The tech-heavy index rose 0.94%, ending at 20,611.34. The S&P 500 added 0.61%, finishing at 6,263.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 217.54 points, or 0.49%, and settled at 44,458.30.

— Lisa Kailai Han