Asian Markets Rise Amid Trade Tensions; OECD Cuts Growth Forecast
Asian equities advanced on Wednesday, with South Korea's KOSPI surging 2% to its highest level since August 2024. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index gained 0.6%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 and Taiwan's benchmark ROSE 0.8% and 1.6%, respectively, buoyed by Nvidia's strong U.S. performance. Mainland Chinese blue chips were flat, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.27%.
Trade tensions linger as the deadline passed for U.S. trading partners to submit proposals to avoid impending tariffs. President Trump's steel and aluminum tariff hike to 50% took effect, signaling potential further protectionist measures. The OECD revised its global growth forecast downward to 2.9% for 2025-2026.