{"id":61964,"date":"2025-07-16T08:44:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T08:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/07\/16\/asian-shares-mostly-lower-as-tariff-concerns-linger\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T08:44:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T08:44:34","slug":"asian-shares-mostly-lower-as-tariff-concerns-linger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/07\/16\/asian-shares-mostly-lower-as-tariff-concerns-linger\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian Shares Mostly Lower As Tariff Concerns Linger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 19 percent tariff on Indonesian exports under a new bilateral pact.<\/p>\n

Indonesia has scrapped tariffs on U.S. goods and pledged billions in purchases to maintain access to its second-largest export market, it was said. <\/p>\n

Analysts said the deal is heavily skewed in favor of the U.S., requiring significant trade-offs.<\/p>\n

The 19 percent tariff is just below Vietnam’s 20 percent and Bangladesh’s 35 percent, two key rivals in major export sectors such as textiles, footwear and apparel.<\/p>\n

The dollar pulled back slightly, and U.S. Treasury yields retreated after rising in the previous session as June U.S. CPI data showed early signs of tariff-linked inflation. <\/p>\n

Gold inched higher on concerns surrounding Trump’s tariff policy. Oil prices were steady as OPEC maintained oil-demand forecast for 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n

China’s Shanghai Composite index finished marginally lower at 3,503.78. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gave up early gains to end 0.29 percent lower at 24,517.76.<\/p>\n

Japanese stocks fluctuated before ending on a flat note due to U.S. tariff worries and uncertainty surrounding the elections to the upper house.<\/p>\n

The Nikkei average finished marginally lower at 39,663.40 while the broader Topix index slipped 0.21 percent to 2,819.40. <\/p>\n

Chip-related heavyweights continued to climb after the U.S. lifted export curbs to China. Advantest rose 0.6 percent and Tokyo Electron rallied 1.8 percent. <\/p>\n

Toho soared nearly 11 percent after the creator of the “Godzilla” movie franchise raised its annual net profit forecast.<\/p>\n

Seoul stocks fell notably amid diminished hopes for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts. The Kospi average fell 0.90 percent to 3,186.38, with automaker Hyundai Motor and battery maker LG Energy Solution both falling around 1.7 percent. <\/p>\n

Australian markets<\/span> ended lower, dragged down by healthcare stocks after Trump indicated that pharma tariffs were likely by the end of July. The benchmark S&P\/ASX 200 dropped 0.79 percent to 8,561.80 while the broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.66 percent lower at 8,816.40.<\/p>\n

Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s benchmark S&P\/NZX-50 index rose 0.51 percent to 12,754.59, marking its second straight session of gains. <\/p>\n

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed after the release of in-line inflation data and mixed earnings from major banks.<\/p>\n

Data showed U.S. CPI increased 0.3 percent sequentially in June, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.7 percent and matching consensus estimates. The so-called core CPI grew 0.2 percent month over month and 2.9 percent year-on-year.<\/p>\n

On the earnings front, JPMorgan Chase beat profit estimates but a key profitability metric fell short of expectations.<\/p>\n

While Citigroup beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit, Wells Fargo cut its full-year guidance for net interest income. Investing giant BlackRock said a large client pulled money during the second quarter.<\/p>\n

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged up by 0.2 percent to reach a new record high as Nvidia said it would “soon” resume H20 AI chip sales to China. The S&P 500 eased 0.4 percent and the Dow lost 1 percent. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n