Asia Pacific markets are trading in mixed sessions on Thursday as regional markets reacted to overnight fluctuations on Wall Street, spurred by concerns about a potential recession following data indicating a first-quarter economic contraction in the U.S.
Numerous markets across the Asia-Pacific region, including those in South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and India, observed closures due to the Labor Day holiday, resulting in reduced trading activity.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 experienced a slight increase of 0.31%, while the Topix index saw a decline of 0.1%. Investors are keenly observing the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting, expected to maintain the country’s interest rates at 0.5%. Meanwhile, Australian ASX 200 was up slightly by 0.17%.
U.S. markets, despite the backdrop of volatility, managed to record a series of gains, with the S&P 500 edging up by 0.15% to close at 5,569.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also saw an uptick, rising by 141.74 points or 0.35%, to reach 40,669.36. In contrast, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended its session unchanged at 17,446.34.
