MANILA, Philippines — Asian shares were mixed in cautious trading Friday after Wall Street closed at an all-time high with Delta Air Lines kicking off earnings season with a solid outlook for the rest of 2025, spurring an airline stock rally.
Chinese markets were sharply higher. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.6 % to 24,402.41, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 1.1% to 3,546.50.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged down 0.1% to 39,662.19, while South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.1% to 3,185.15.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 8,583.40. India’s BSE Sensex was flat at 83,190.28.
“Just as the market was catching its breath at new highs—drunk on Nvidia fumes and blissfully ignoring the dollar’s quiet groan—President Trump tugged the rug again. A new act in the tariff opera: 35% duties on Canadian imports, with a sweeping upgrade in blanket tariffs now floating between 15% and 20%,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.
“Asian equities, initially hopeful, wilted into flat lines as if someone had pulled the plug on the optimism generator. There’s a growing sense now that risk has become radioactive—tradable, but only in hazmat gloves,” he added.
On Thursday, Wall Street added to its recent milestones as the market closed at an all-time