Asia market update: Nasdaq FUTS rise in Asia ahead of month-end, Apple gains after earnings, Samsung commented on HBM; BOJ Gov Ueda scheduled to appear before parliament from 2:35 pm (local time) [12:35 AM EST].

General trend

- Trump reiterated BRICS tariff warning.

- -2-year JGB yield rose above 0.73% after bond auction.

- Seeing less impact from headlines related to DeepSeek.

- No major impact seen from Japan ‘data dump’.

- Korean markets played catchup after extended holiday.

- Chinese markets remain on holiday.

- Corporate earnings still in focus.

- US PCE data also due.

Headlines/economic data

Australia/New Zealand

-ASX 200 opens +0.1% at 8,502; The index later trades at a fresh record high of 8,525.

-AOFM [Australia debt agency] to issue 2036 Treasury bond through syndication during the week of Feb 3rd [inline].

-Australia sells A$800M v A$800M indicated in 2030 Bonds: Avg Yield: 3.9547%; bid-to-cover: 4.41x.

-Australia Q4 PPI Q/Q: 0.8% v 1.0% prior; Y/Y: 3.7% v 3.9% prior.

-Australia Dec Private Sector Credit M/M: 0.6% v 0.5%e; Y/Y: 6.5% v 6.3% prior.

China/Hong Kong

-Hang Seng closed for holiday [**Note: HK markets are closed on Jan 29th-31st for the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.].

-Shanghai Composite closed for holiday [**Reminder: China expanded market closures for Lunar New Year Holiday from 6 to 8 days [Jan 28th through Feb 4th], effective from Jan 28th 2025 - press].

Japan

- Nikkei 225 opens +0.2% at 39,574.

- Japan Jan Tokyo CPI Y/Y: 3.4% V 3.0%E; CPI (EX-FRESH FOOD) Y/Y: 2.5% V 2.5%E.

- Japan Dec preliminary Industrial Production M/M: 0.3% V 0.2%E; Y/Y: -1.1% V -2.2%E.

- Japan Dec Retail Sales M/M: -0.7% V -0.1%E; Y/Y: 3.7% V 3.2%E.

- Japan Dec jobless rate: 2.4% V 2.5%E.

- Japan Dec Annualized Housing Starts: 787K v 777Ke; Y/Y: -2.5% v -3.9%e.

- Japan sells ¥2.6T VS. ¥2.6T indicated in 0.700% 2-year JGB bonds; AVG yield: 0.7270% V 0.6020% prior; bid-to-cover: 4.06 V 3.95X prior.

-Nissan [7201.JP]: Says planning to announce direction of possible integration with Honda by mid- Feb.

Korea

- Kospi opens flat at 2,534.

-Samsung Electronics: Reports Q4 final (KRW) Net 7.58T v 7.05Te , Op 6.49T v 6.50T prelim, Rev 75.8T v 75.0T prelim; affirms 2025 memory Capex to be inline with 2024.

-Samsung: NVIDIA said to approve 8-layer HBM3E AI memory - press [***Note: Nvidia has so far exclusively sourced HBM3E chips from SK Hynix; Aug 6th 2024: Reportedly Nvidia clears Samsung 8-layer HBM3E chips for use in AI chipsets, but 12-layer HBM3E chips have not yet passed Nvidia qualification tests – press].

- South Korea Information Privacy Watchdog Official: to ask DeepSeek about policy on personal information collection and use.

Other Asia

-US probes if Deepseek got NVIDIA chips through Singapore middlemen - press [**Reminder on 12/02 2024 *(CN) Follow up: US reportedly to expand its powers to curb exports of certain advanced chip-making equipment made in places such as Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Israel; Netherlands and Japan exempted from the expanded foreign direct product rule - financial press].

North America

- (US) President Trump: [Again] Warns of 100% tariffs if BRICS seek to replace the USD; Reiterates no chance BRICS will replace the US dollar in international trade; 'any country' trying to replace the US dollar will 'face tariffs'.

- (US) Pres Trump announces Canadian and Mexican tariffs will be 25% because of Fentanyl.

- (US) Q4 advance GDP annualized Q/Q: 2.3% V 2.6%E; personal consumption: 4.2% V 3.2%E.

Europe

- ECB cuts key rates by 25bps; as expected.

- (UK) Jan Lloyds Business Barometer: 37 v 39 prior.

Levels as of 00:20 ET

- Nikkei 225, +0.2%, ASX 200 +0.5% , Hang Seng closed; Shanghai Composite closed ; Kospi -1.2%.

- Equity S&P500 Futures: +0.3%; Nasdaq100 +0.5%, Dax flat.

- EUR 1.0407-1.0377 ; JPY 154.70-153.91 ; AUD 0.6230-0.6203 ;NZD 0.5649-0.5624.

- Gold 0.1% at $2,848/oz; Crude Oil +0.9% at $73.36/brl; Copper -0.1% at $4.3070/lb.

All information provided by Trade The News (a product of Trade The News, Inc. "referred to as TTN hereafter") is for informational purposes only. Information provided is not meant as investment advice nor is it a recommendation to Buy or Sell securities. Although information is taken from sources deemed reliable, no guarantees or assurances can be made to the accuracy of any information provided. 1. Information can be inaccurate and/or incomplete 2. Information can be mistakenly re-released or be delayed, 3. Information may be incorrect, misread, misinterpreted or misunderstood 4. Human error is a business risk you are willing to assume 5. Technology can crash or be interrupted without notice 6. Trading decisions are the responsibility of traders, not those providing additional information. Trade The News is not liable (financial and/or non-financial) for any losses that may arise from any information provided by TTN. Trading securities involves a high degree of risk, and financial losses can and do occur on a regular basis and are part of the risk of trading and investing.

Recommended Content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

AUD/USD holds lower ground below 0.6350 after dismal Australian data

AUD/USD holds lower ground below 0.6350 after dismal Australian data

AUD/USD keeps its offered tone intact below 0.6350 in Wednesday's Asian trading, undermined by below forecasts Australian Constuction Output and monthly CPI data. The data fan more RBA rate cut expectations. Risk-off flows and renewed US Dollar demand also add to the weight on the Aussie. 

AUD/USD News
USD/JPY: Rebound gathers steam to near 149.50

USD/JPY: Rebound gathers steam to near 149.50

USD/JPY is extending the rebound to near 149.50 in Asian trading on Wednesday. The pair tracks the upswing in the US Dollar and the US Treasury bond yields, fuelled by the US House passage of the Republican Budget plan, advancing Trump's tax plans. 

USD/JPY News
Gold buyers jump back amid tariff uncertainty

Gold buyers jump back amid tariff uncertainty

Gold price struggles to build on Tuesday’s rebound in the Asian session on Wednesday. Gold buyers try their luck as safe-haven flows return on US President Donald Trump’s tariff uncertainty and weak US economic prospects.

Gold News
Strategy stock dips as Bitcoin price crashes below $90K, sparking concerns of forced liquidation

Strategy stock dips as Bitcoin price crashes below $90K, sparking concerns of forced liquidation

Strategy witnessed an 11% stock decline on Tuesday, stirred by Bitcoin's market's plunge below $90,000 and fueling speculations of a forced liquidation for the company.

Read more
Five fundamentals for the week: Fallout from German vote, Fed's favorite figure stand out

Five fundamentals for the week: Fallout from German vote, Fed's favorite figure stand out Premium

Statements, not facts, are set to dominate the last week of February. Further fallout from Germany's elections and new comments from Trump on trade may overshadow most figures –but not the Fed's favorite inflation figure.

Read more
The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD

The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD

SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market.

Read More

Majors

Cryptocurrencies

Signatures

Best Brokers of 2025