{"id":69332,"date":"2026-01-30T08:46:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/01\/30\/asian-shares-mostly-lower-in-cautious-trade-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T08:46:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:46:36","slug":"asian-shares-mostly-lower-in-cautious-trade-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/01\/30\/asian-shares-mostly-lower-in-cautious-trade-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian Shares Mostly Lower In Cautious Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Friday as Apple warned of rising memory chip prices and China’s state-owned Securities Times warned against speculative trading.<\/p>\n

Tariff worries returned to the fore after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Canada with a 50 percent tariff on all aircraft sold in the United States and also signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a step that raises fresh pressure on Mexico. <\/p>\n

The dollar traded higher, clawing back some of its slide on the week, as U.S. lawmakers reached an agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown and President Trump said he has chosen a very good person to be the new Federal Reserve chairman, with a formal announcement expected later in the day. <\/p>\n

Gold extended losses to dip below $5,200 an ounce in Asian trade as traders booked profits after a record rally. Oil prices fell nearly 2 percent after the U.S. eased some sanctions on the oil industry in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

China’s Shanghai Composite index fell 0.96 percent to 4,117.95 as a sudden drop in gold prices combined with regulatory action to limit speculative losses sparked heavy selling in miners and other materials stocks. <\/p>\n

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index tumbled 2.08 percent to 27,387.11, ending a seven-day rally amid steep losses in non-ferrous metals and mining stocks. <\/p>\n

Japan’s Nikkei finished marginally lower at 53,322.85, snapping a three-day advance as technology<\/span> stocks lost ground amid renewed concerns over the sustainability of massive investments in artificial intelligence. Lasertec, Keyence and Advantest fell 3-5 percent. <\/p>\n

Investors also looked ahead to the lower house snap election scheduled for Feb. 8. The broader Topix index settled 0.59 percent higher at 3,566.32.<\/p>\n

Data released earlier in the day revealed that Tokyo’s consumer inflation cooled again in January, easing pressure on the Bank of Japan to hike rates again soon.<\/p>\n

Other reports on industrial output, retail sales and unemployment portrayed a mixed picture of the economy<\/span>. <\/p>\n

Seoul stocks ended little changed, with the Kospi average closing marginally higher at 5,224.36, extending its winning streak to a fourth session and hitting a new record high.<\/p>\n

Investors shrugged off data that showed South Korea’s industrial output grew at the slowest pace in five years in 2025.<\/p>\n

Australian markets<\/span> fell notably as material stocks succumbed to profit taking after recent strong gains. The benchmark S&P\/ASX 200 dropped 0.65 percent to 8,869.10, extending losses for a third straight session. The broader All Ordinaries index ended down 0.78 percent at 9,164.80.<\/p>\n

Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s benchmark S&P\/NZX-50 index rose 0.56 percent to 13,423.18, recouping losses from the previous two sessions. <\/p>\n

U.S. stocks ended mostly lower overnight after Microsoft reported slower growth in its cloud business<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The Dow recovered from an early sell-off to close 0.1 percent higher while the S&P 500 slid 0.1 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 0.7 percent. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Business News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n