Asia markets today: Nikkei 225 up 0.18%, Hang Seng Index falls by 197 points

Asian markets opened mixed today, with the Nikkei 225 showing a modest gain of 0.18%, buoyed by positive sentiment in the Japanese economy and strong performance in export-related sectors. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng Index saw a decline, falling by 197 points, or 0.97%, amid concerns over slowing economic growth in China and ongoing regulatory challenges.

The Nikkei 225 index finished up 0.18% in Tokyo

Japan’s stock market closed higher on Monday, driven by gains in the Shipbuilding, Railway & Bus, and Services sectors.

Leading the gains on the Nikkei 225 were DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432), which surged 17.28%, adding 363.50 points to close at 2,467.00. Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801) rose 14.80%, up 700.00 points to end at 5,431.00, while Fujikura Ltd. (TYO:5803) saw a 6.41% increase, gaining 356.00 points to settle at 5,908.00. Nissan Motor Corp. (7201) and Sony Corp. (6758) saw gains of 0.31% and 1.06%, respectively. However, tech stocks tracked the Nasdaq into negative territory, with Softbank Group Corp. (9984) and Tokyo Electron (8035) posting morning losses.

The worst performers of the session were Isuzu Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7202), which fell 5.29% or 104.00 points to trade at 1,860.50 at the close. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) declined 5.11% or 359.00 points to end at 6,669.00 and Secom Co., Ltd. (TYO:9735) was down 4.97% or 275.00 points to 5,258.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1892 to 1731 and 240 ended unchanged.

Hang Seng Index falls by 197 points at opening session

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) has confirmed that all trading platforms will continue normal operations today, despite the issuance of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 at 11:10 PM last night. This marks the first trading day with a tropical cyclone threat, as the Hang Seng Index opened 197 points lower, down 0.99%, to close at 19,626 points. This marks the index's fifth consecutive day of decline. The Mainland Enterprises Index fell by 84 points, or 1.17%, finishing at 7,046 points, while the Technology Index dropped 67 points, or 1.51%, to close at 4,388 points.

In the realm of large-cap tech stocks, notable declines were observed. Tencent saw a 0.5% decrease, Alibaba slipped by 1.5%, Meituan dropped by 2.5%, JD.com fell by 1.9%, Xiaomi Group experienced a 1.3% decline, and Kuaishou dropped by 1.5%.

The financial sector showed a softer performance, with HSBC Holdings sliding by 0.1%, Prudential Insurance down by 0.1%, China Ping An falling by 0.5%, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange itself declining by 0.7%.

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