Asia markets mixed in Christmas Eve trading; gold crosses $4,500 for the first time
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday as several indexes are set to close early in lieu of the Christmas Eve holiday.
TL;DR
- Asia-Pacific markets closed mostly lower, deviating from Wall Street's positive performance.
- Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.14% as the country planned substantial government bond issuance for its fiscal 2026 budget, leading to record high yields on JGBs.
- South Korea's Kospi declined 0.21%, while the won strengthened due to strategic foreign exchange hedging by the national pension fund.
- Shares of South Korean battery maker EnChem surged over 10% on news of a significant supply deal with China's Contemporary Amperex Technology.
- Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's CSI 300 closed slightly higher.
- Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.38%, ending a four-day winning streak.
- Spot gold prices surpassed $4,500 per ounce, and platinum reached over $2,300 per ounce, hitting record highs.
- The U.S. dollar index has weakened nearly 10% year-to-date.
- U.S. stock futures traded near flat, following a session where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs, driven by AI stocks.