Asian markets closed with collective gains at the end of trading on Monday, August 25, the opening session of the week, supported by the US Federal Reserve Chairman’s remarks on Friday at the Jackson Hole Symposium, opening the door to a rate cut at the bank’s September meeting. Chinese markets led the gains, supported by the real estate sector after Shanghai eased restrictions on home purchases.

Bank of Japan Governor Ueda said in remarks during a panel discussion on Saturday on the sidelines of the Jackson Hole Symposium that wage increases continue to accelerate due to an improving labor market, and he is optimistic that the right conditions are in place for another interest rate hike after it was suspended due to tariff concerns.
Meanwhile, in a move to contain the ongoing real estate crisis, China eased home purchase rules. Qualified residents, including those outside Shanghai, can now purchase an unlimited number of homes in the outer suburbs, while non-residents who have paid into their pension for three years can purchase new homes in urban areas. This plan has bolstered the real estate sector, rising by more than 8% today, with expectations that further steps to support the housing market will be announced soon.

The Nikkei index closed the session at 42,807 points, up 0.41%, or 174 points. The Topix index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 0.15% today, closing at 3,105. Toto led the Nikkei’s gains, rising more than 8% after the luxury toilet manufacturer announced it would open a $224 million factory in Georgia, USA.

Chinese indices also rose today, with the broader CSI300 index rising 2.06% to close at 4,469 points. The Shanghai Composite Index closed 1.51% higher at 3,883 points. Real estate stocks led the gains of the session, with China Vanke’s shares rising more than 15%.

The Hang Seng Index, the main index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose by approximately 1.85% today, closing at 25,807 points, led by Netease, which gained more than 6%.
In contrast, the South Korean Kospi index rose by approximately 1.30% in today’s session, closing at 3,209 points.
The Korea International Leasing Association (KITA) announced over the weekend that South Korean steel exports to the United States fell by 16% in July, reaching $283 million.
India’s Sensex index rose by approximately 0.55% before closing at 81,722 points, while the Nifty 50 index rose by approximately 0.50%, trading at 24,993 points.

New Zealand stock markets closed with gains today, with the NZX 50 index rising by 0.27% to close at 13,079. New Zealand retail sales rose by $25 billion in the second quarter of this year, a 0.5% increase, better than expectations and compared to a 0.8% growth in the first quarter. Australia’s ASX 200 index rose by 0.05% to close at 8,972 points. Singapore’s main index rose by 0.16% in pre-closing trading, as Singapore’s inflation rate fell to 0.6% in July, its lowest reading since January 2021.