Asian markets closed mixed on Friday, August 8, the final trading session of the week, with investors focusing on the tariffs on some countries that took effect on Thursday. Meanwhile, Japanese indices benefited from Japanese statements indicating a resolution had been reached with the United States regarding the tariffs imposed on its exports. The US government promised to amend some overlapping tariffs imposed on Japanese goods as the new tariffs take effect. Japanese markets recorded gains today, with the Nikkei index closing the week at 41,820 points, up 1.85%, or 761 points. The Topix index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 1.21% today, closing at 3,014, marking a new record high. Both indices recorded weekly gains of 2.5% and 2.55%, respectively. SoftBank led the Nikkei gains, rising more than 13% to a new record high of 13,985 yen, after the group announced second-quarter profits of 421.8 billion yen, exceeding expectations.

Chinese indices were down in today’s closing session, with the broader CSI300 index falling 0.15% to close at 4,108 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.12% at 3,635.

The Hang Seng Index, the main index tracking the largest technology companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, fell by approximately 93.0% today, closing at 24,849 points. Wharf Real Estate Investment led the declines, with declines of more than 8%.

In contrast, South Korea’s Kospi index fell by approximately 0.55% today, closing at 3,210 points.

India’s Sensex index lost approximately 0.60% before closing at 80,062 points, while the Nifty 50 index fell by approximately 0.56% to trade at 24,457 points as investors continue to assess the tariffs imposed on India.

New Zealand stock markets closed with losses today, with the NZX50 index falling by 0.33% to close at 12,844 points, while Australia’s ASX200 index fell by 0.28% to close at 8,807 points, marking a new record high. Singapore’s main index fell by 0.79% in pre-market trading.