Asian Markets Stutter While S&P 500 Charges Ahead—Wall Street Flexes Again

Asia's markets can't decide if they're coming or going—meanwhile, the S&P 500 casually notches another win. Classic.

Divergent Paths

While Tokyo blinked and Shanghai yawned, U.S. equities said 'hold my latte' and climbed anyway. Some things never change—like Wall Street's talent for outperforming while the rest of the world naps.

The Numbers Game

No hard stats? No problem. The real story isn't in the digits—it's in the momentum. And right now, Uncle Sam's market is hogging all the kinetic energy.

Cynic's Corner

Let's be honest: if markets were gym memberships, Asia would be that guy who pays annually but never shows up. Meanwhile, the S&P's personal trainer is getting a bonus.

Asian markets remain somewhat mixed

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.3 percent to 25,057.11, while Shanghai’s Composite index also gained 0.3 percent to 3,568.78. In Seoul, the Kospi dipped 1.4% to 3,165.40 as investors grew wary of the looming August 1 deadline for a trade pact with President Donald Trump or risk 25 percent tariffs on South Korean exports to the U.S.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was briefly almost flat at 8,666.30. India’s Sensex added 0.3%, and Thailand’s SET was up just under 0.1%.

Many of the high tariffs proposed by President TRUMP remain on hold after the deadline for talks was extended. The extension is meant to give further time to countries to reach trade pacts in order to lower those levies. As of now, August 1 stands as the next key date.

S&P 500 climbs ahead of profit updates from big firms

All three major U.S. benchmarks reached fresh record levels on Monday, with the S&P 500, the Dow, and the Nasdaq closing at new highs. That performance started a week packed with US profit updates from big names. 

General Motors will report its latest profit results later this week. Other market heavyweights, including Alphabet, Tesla and Coca-Cola, will also provide updates to investors.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.1% to 6,305.60, just above its previous all-time peak set last Thursday. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped lower than 0.1 percent to 44,323.07. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.4% to finish at 20,974.17, setting another record.

Shares of Block, the technology firm run by Jack Dorsey that includes Cash App, Square, and other firms, jumped 7.6% in its first trading session after news of joining the S&P 500 index. The change takes effect by the Wednesday trading session.

In commodity markets, U.S. benchmark crude oil fell 71 cents to $65.24 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 69 cents to settle at $68.52 a barrel.

On the currency front, the US dollar strengthened to 147.62 Japanese yen from 147.38. The euro dipped to $1.1691 from $1.1696.

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