Asia-Pacific markets open slightly higher ahead of Trump’s expected tariff rollout

Asia-Pacific markets saw modest gains on Wednesday as investors wait on Trump’s expected tariff announcement.

Meanwhile, despite market volatility, UBS analysts believe that news flow will turn “more positive” toward the second half of the year, which could further boost the APAC markets.

The Investment bank even commented, “We think investors can use market swings to build long-term exposure. Investors should, therefore, consider taking advantage of market dips to buy into broad U.S. equities and companies exposed to AI.”

Asia-Pacific markets rise slightly on Wednesday and Tuesday amid market uncertainty

On Wednesday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 0.06% and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 0.14%. While Topix dipped slightly by 0.3%, the small-cap Kosdaq index rose 0.12%, and Australia’s SP/ASX 200 traded 0.63% higher.

However, Hang Seng Index futures in Hong Kong last traded at $23,150, down from HSI’s Tuesday close of 23,206.64.

Moreover, U.S stock futures improved slightly. The three major averages showed mixed results overnight. The SP 500 gained 0.38% to close at 5,633.07, plus the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.87% and ended at 17,449.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.03% to 41,989.96.

On Tuesday, Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose, with Australia’s SP/ASX 200 gaining 1.04% and South Korea’s Kospi index rising 1.62% to end the day at 2,521.39 while the small-cap Kosdaq surged 2.76% to 691.45.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index also climbed 0.38% to close at 23,206.84. However, India’s benchmark Nifty 50 dwindled 1.54% while the broader BSE Sensex fell 1.84%.

Donald Trump believes his reciprocal tariffs will help the country bring back its wealth

On Monday, President Donald Trump claimed his expected reciprocal tariffs will be relatively less than what other countries have been charging over the years. He claimed his administration would be nicer and very kind and even charge substantially lower compared to other countries.

He argued that other countries have been taking advantage of the U.S. and that the expected tariffs will only help the country earn back its wealth, calling it the country’s rebirth. He even tagged April 2, the announcement day for the tariffs, “liberation day.”

A day before, Trump also stated that the tariffs would be imposed on “all countries,” hinting that the levies may extend to nations responsible for most of the country’s trade deficit.

Trump is expected to announce his tariff plan on Wednesday during an event in the Rose Garden, currently scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT. However, investors are still split over their stance on the proposed tariffs, some welcoming them and others heavily opposing them, aggravating market uncertainty.

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