Asian equities traded mixed on Monday, as markets responded to renewed geopolitical concerns and tariff-related news. Chinese markets are shut today for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, adding to lighter volumes in the region.
US stock index futures were marginally lower after former President Donald Trump, over the weekend, announced a hike in tariffs on steel imports and warned that trade levies would remain in place.
Dow futures were down 122 points, or 0.29%, at 42,149. Nasdaq futures slipped 74 points, or 0.35%, to 21,266, while US Small Cap 2000 futures lost 6 points, or 0.29%, at 2,060.
In Europe, DAX futures were almost flat at 24,036, down 9 points or 0.04%, while FTSE futures gained 16 points or 0.18% to trade at 8,798.
Asian markets showed a mixed trend. Hang Seng futures dropped sharply, down 261 points or 1.13% at 22,925. Nikkei 225 slid 483 points or 1.87% to 37,481, pressured by global cues. In contrast, KOSPI in South Korea rose 8 points or 0.29% to 2,706.
Gift Nifty, indicating the Indian market’s opening, was largely flat at 24,869, down 2 points or 0.01% (adjusted).
US markets had closed mixed on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 54 points or 0.13% at 42,270. However, the Nasdaq Composite fell 62 points or 0.32% to 19,114, as tech stocks faced some profit-taking ahead of key macroeconomic data.
