Overview

• Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.99% to 45,493.66 and South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.68% to 3,468.65, both closing at record highs, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.76%.
• China’s central bank kept benchmark loan prime rates unchanged for a fourth straight month, underscoring policy divergence with the Fed’s recent cut.
• European equities opened lower as autos slumped after Porsche cut its profit outlook, with Volkswagen, Stellantis and Renault also falling.
• Samsung Electronics jumped 4.77% in Seoul on reports that Nvidia approved its fifth‑generation high‑bandwidth memory product, a claim not officially confirmed.
• India’s Nifty 50 slipped 0.46% after the U.S. administration proposed a $100,000 fee for new H‑1B visas, adding pressure to the country’s tech exporters.