People pose for photos in front of a Christmas light installation in central Seoul on December 22, 2023.
Jung Yeon-je | AFP | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Christmas Eve, after key US benchmarks rose overnight, helped by gains in technology stocks.
of Japan Nikkei 225 fell 0.32% to 39,036.85 in minutes from the Bank of Japan’s October meeting showed that members agreed to stay on the rate hike if economic and inflationary outlooks are met.
Japanese car manufacturer Honda rose 12.69%, while Nissan shares rose over 5% a day later they announced the start of official talks connect, paving pay to create the world’s third largest car manufacturer by sales. Discussions should end in June 2025.
South Korea Kospi fell 0.06% to 2440.52 while the Kosdaq rose 0.13% to 680.11.
Consumer confidence in South Korea has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years. Earth consumer sentiment index fell more than 12 points from November to 88.4 in December, falling below the 100-point mark that separates optimism from pessimism, a survey released by the Bank of Korea showed.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.08% to close at 20,098.29, while mainland China’s CSI 300 added 1.27% to close at 3,983.69.
Australia S&P/ASX 200 it closed 0.24% higher at 8,220.9 in a shortened trading day.
Overnight in the USA, stocks rose as strength in technology names helped the broader market.
The S&P 500 gained 0.73% to 5,974.07. Heavy technology Nasdaq Composite increased by 0.98% to 19,764.89, as Tesla and Meta platform added more than 2% and Nvidia rose more than 3%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased earlier losses and ended the day 66.69 points higher, or 0.16%, at 42,906.95.
Trading was light on Monday and is expected to remain quiet during the week. The New York Stock Exchange closes early on Tuesday at 1:00 PM ET on Christmas Eve, and the market is closed on Christmas Day.
— CNBC’s Yun Li contributed to this report.
