Central Bank Outlooks, Property Shaes Roil Asian Stock Markets

05:46 AM EST, 12/08/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned on Monday, as property issues pressured China-exposed exchanges, while traders awaited upcoming decisions from the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve.

Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, while Hong Kong lagged. Other regional exchanges were also choppy.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened evenly, waffled, but finished up 0.2% as traders entertained tech and manufacturing-sector shares, and awaited a Bank of Japan rate decision slated for Wednesday.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 90.07 to 50,581.94, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 176 to 48.

Leading the upside was tech conglomerate Fujikura, up 7%, while retail empire Aeon declined 6.9%.

In economic news, Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by a real 2.3% annualized rate in the third quarter, revised down from an initially reported 1.8% decline, due in part to weaker business investment, the Cabinet Office reported.

Separately, Japan's Economy Watcher's Survey current conditions index declined to 48.7 in November from a 19-month peak of 49.1 in October, and slipping further below the 50-mark distinguishes optimism from pessimism. The survey polls front-line service-sector workers.

Additionally, Japan's real wages in October fell 0.7% from a year earlier, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly but slumped through the day, closing down 1.2% as traders eschewed property shares and awaited signals from Beijing's Central Economic Work Conference, slated for later this month.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell by 319.72 to 25,765.36, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 73 to 14. The Hang Seng TECH Index was flat on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1%.

Leading the upside was search-engine giant Baidu, gaining 3.5%, while toymaker Pop Mart International declined 8.5%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.5% to 3,924.08.

In economic news, mainland China exports rose 5.9% on-year in November, while imports rose by 1.9%, reported the Customs Administration. Beijing's trade surplus was pegged at $1.08 trillion in November, an all-time monthly record.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 1.3%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 1.2%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.5%, and the Thai Set declined 1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.7%.

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