Central Bank, Bitcoin Outlooks Churn Asian Stock Markets

05:35 AM EST, 12/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were mixed and largely muted Tuesday, as traders awaited central bank decisions in Tokyo and Washington, and monitored unsettling plunges in Bitcoin values.

Hong Kong edged higher, while Shanghai lost ground. Other regional exchanges were similarly mixed, although Seoul's KOSPI index gained 1.9% after the US generally lowered its tariffs on South Korean imports to 15% from 25%, effective retroactively to Nov. 1, pursuant to certain trade-deal conditions.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher, waffled and finished flat, as traders looked for more clues on potential pending Bank of Japan rate hikes.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.17 to 49,303.45, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 112 to 111.

Leading the upside was Nippon Electric Glass, up 9.9%, while utility Tokyo Electric Power declined 6.7%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher and held ground, closing up 0.2% as traders looked for fresh market catalysts.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 61.79 to 26,095.05, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 59 to 26. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 0.4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.2%.

Leading the upside was Macau gaming house Galaxy Entertainment, gaining 2.8%, while JD Health International fell 3.4%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.4% to 3,897.71.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.8%; the Australian ASX 200 rose 0.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index gained 0.3%, and the Thai Set inclined 0.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.6%.

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