Asia-Pacific markets are mixed
The Asia-Pacific market wrapped up a mixed day on Monday.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose by 0.26% to finish at 24,203.32, while the CSI 300 index in mainland China remained unchanged at 4,017.67.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 0.28%, closing at 39,459.62, but the broader Topix index held steady at 2,822.81.
The Korean Kospi index increased by 0.83% to settle at 3,202.03, while the smaller Kosdaq edged down by 0.14% to 799.37.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day down by 0.11% at 8,570.4.
Turning to India, the 50-share benchmark Nifty 50 fell 0.53%, and the Sensex index decreased by 0.46% as of 2 PM local time.
Indian stocks opened low
Indian stocks began trading on a downbeat note on Monday, influenced by mixed performances in other key Asia-Pacific markets.
The Nifty 50 index dropped by 0.43%, while the Sensex index fell by 0.26% by 9:35 AM Indian time.
Bitcoin hits new highs above $120,000
Bitcoin continued its upward trend, achieving a new record on Monday by exceeding $120,000.
By 12:03 PM Singapore time, the cryptocurrency had increased by 1.35%, trading at $120,732.42.
China’s exports surpass expectations in June, imports set to rebound
China’s exports exceeded forecasts in June as companies expedited shipments to benefit from temporary tariff relief ahead of the August deadline.
Exports rose by 5.8% in June, compared to the previous year, as reported by customs data on Monday, outpacing predictions of a 5% increase.
Meanwhile, imports grew by 1.1%, against economists’ expectations of a 1.3% rise, marking the first increase this year after several months of decline amid softening domestic demand.
Japan’s 10-year government bond yields rise
The yield on Japan’s 10-year government bonds climbed by 5.5 basis points on Monday, reaching 1.554% by 11:20 AM local time.
This increase coincides with a rise in bond prices, which typically leads to lower yields.
Further, yields on 10-year JGBs rose by 6.5 basis points to 3.111%, while the two-year yield reached 0.775% and the five-year yield hit 1.066%, almost 4 basis points higher at day’s end.
Bitcoin reaches a peak near $119,500
Later in the day, Bitcoin registered gains after reaching a record high of $119,454.68.
By 10:15 AM in Singapore, the cryptocurrency was trading at around $119,171.63.
China and Hong Kong stocks see early gains
China and Hong Kong stocks showed slight increases in early trading on Monday amid volatile market conditions across major Asia-Pacific indices.
At 9:40 AM local time, the Hang Seng index was up by 0.14%, while the CSI 300 index rose by 0.16%.
Japan’s core machine orders dip slightly
Japan’s core machine orders decreased by 0.6% from the previous month in May, according to data released by the national Cabinet Office on Monday.
This showed a better performance compared to the 1.5% contraction that economists predicted. However, it followed a significant 9.1% drop in April.
Core machinery orders, which exclude volatile items, are seen as a key indicator of business investment sentiment.
Year over year, core orders rose by 4.4%, surpassing the expected growth of 3.4% based on LSEG data.
Singapore’s economy narrowly avoids recession
Singapore managed to avoid a technical recession, growing by 1.4% in the second quarter of 2025, recovering from a 0.5% contraction in the first quarter.
In comparison to the previous year, the economy expanded by 4.3% in the second quarter, up from 4.1% in the preceding quarter but still falling short of expectations, which forecasted growth of 3.5%.
Asia-Pacific markets begin mixed
The Asia-Pacific market started the day with mixed signals on Monday.
As of 8:10 AM Japanese time, the Nikkei 225 benchmark lost 0.33%, while the broader Topix index fell by 0.21%.
In South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.22%, and the Kosdaq rose by 0.19%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also dipped by 0.1%.
Opening call for the day
Good morning from Singapore.
Investors are poised to pay attention to several data releases today, including June’s inflation numbers from India and Singapore’s economic growth figures for the second quarter.
Economists predict that India’s consumer price inflation will decrease from 2.82% to 2.5% year on year.
For Singapore, growth is expected to reach 3.5% year on year in the second quarter, compared to 3.9% in the previous quarter.
Japanese futures contracts for the Nikkei 225 were last seen at 39,345 in Chicago, while Osaka’s equivalent traded at 39,500. This comes after the index’s previous close at 39,569.68.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index indicated a weaker opening at 24,088, compared to its last close of 24,139.57.
Australian S&P/ASX 200 futures were also set to start lower, at 8,548, down from the previous close of 8,580.10.
