Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher on Friday, tracking Wall Street’s gains after two key indexes hit fresh records following the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to cut interest rates.
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The central bank on Wednesday cut its key overnight interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, putting it in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.96%, while the Topix added 1.18%. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.29%, while small-cap Kosdaq traded around stagnant.
The Australian reference index S&P/ASX 200 was up by 0.83%, reports SEEbiz.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.71%, while the mainland’s CSI 300 fell 0.2%.
China’s top leaders wrapped up their annual economic planning meeting on Thursday by reaffirming broad economic support for next year, including boosting spending and stabilizing the real estate sector. Policymakers remained focused on strengthening domestic technological capacity, a key priority for the upcoming five-year plan starting in 2026.
