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China Home Prices Fall Again as Property Slump Drags on Growth 
Hong Kong Unveils First Five-Year Plan to Boost Finance, Tech and Housing 
China Industrial Output Beats Forecasts as Exports Support Growth 
Dollar Rises as Fed Hike Bets Weigh on Asian Currencies 
Central Banks Could Buy 20,000 Tonnes of Gold: BofA 
Asian Tech Stocks Slide as AI Concerns and Rising Bond Yields Hit Chipmakers 
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Asian stocks moved higher on Wednesday as investors cautiously positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision, with gains in Japan and South Korea helping regional markets rebound from recent weakness.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained about 0.2%, while South Korea’s KOSPI climbed 0.9% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.6%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.2%. U.S. stock futures also edged higher, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures gaining about 0.2%.
Markets are pricing a 92.4% probability of a 25-basis-point Fed rate hike, compared with 59.4% a week earlier. Such a move would represent the Federal Reserve’s first rate increase since 2023. The Bank of England and Bank of Japan are also scheduled to announce policy decisions later this week.
Treasury yields remained elevated, with the U.S. 10-year yield briefly exceeding 5% on Tuesday, its highest level since 2007, before easing toward 4.99% during Asian trading. Concerns over fiscal deficits, heavy government debt issuance and financing demand have pressured bonds.
Technology stocks delivered mixed performances. SK Hynix rose 2.3% and Samsung Electronics gained 1.5%, while Kioxia declined 4%. TSMC slipped 0.2% as investors continued assessing whether heavy artificial intelligence spending can generate sufficient returns.
Oil prices provided some relief, with Brent crude falling about 0.6% to around $108 per barrel after surging roughly 20% this month. Middle East supply disruptions remain a major concern, although an unexpected increase in U.S. crude inventories helped limit gains.
Chinese equities strengthened despite uneven economic data. The CSI 300 rose 0.6% and Shanghai Composite gained 0.5%. China’s August industrial production increased 5.2%, while retail sales grew only 0.4%. Fixed-asset investment fell 7.2% during the first eight months, with property investment plunging 19.9%.
Japan reported a ¥1.106 trillion August trade deficit as exports rose 19.3% and imports jumped 28%. Elsewhere, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite gained 0.7%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3%, and New Zealand’s NZX 50 advanced 0.8%.
