Fed Rate Cut, Foreign-Exchange Roil Asian Stock Markets

06:41 AM EDT, 09/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned on Thursday as traders weighed the overnight rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and awaited a rate announcement on Friday from the Bank of Japan.

Hong Kong and Shanghai lost ground, while broad equity indices in Tokyo, Taiwan and Seoul struck fresh all-time zeniths. Other regional exchanges were also mixed.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and rose to the close, finishing up 1.2% as traders digested the US central bank easing move, and a softer yen that boosted export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 513.05 to 45,303.43, closing above 45,000 for the first time, while striking another record high. Gaining issues on the index outnumbered losers 129 to 94.

Leading the upside was chemical-and industrial-products maker Resonac, up 11.7%, while utility Tokyo Electric Power fell 7.7%

In economic news, the total value of machinery orders received by 280 Japanese manufacturers decreased by a seasonally adjusted 4.2% in July from June, but rose 4.9% on year, reported the Cabinet Office.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly but sagged in the afternoon, closing down 1.4% as traders evidently booked profits after recent bull runs.

China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, kept a key interest rate unchanged on Thursday, and indicated no plans to ease policy despite the Fed's rate cut and a recent batch of weak economic data.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 363.54 to 26,544.85, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 78 to eight. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 2.1%.

Leading the upside was toymaker Pop Mart International, gaining 4.6%, while Xinyi Solar fell 5.9%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 1.2% to 3,831.66.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 1.4%; the Taiwan TWSE added 1.3%; the Australian ASX 200 lost 0.8%; the Singapore Straits Times Index slipped 0.3%, and the Thai Set retreated 0.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.4%.

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