Asian stocks rise ahead of Trump's tariff decisions

• Stocks in Asia have risen ahead of President Donald Trump's decisions regarding tariffs
• Financial results of the company show mixed trends
• Trade and inflation remain at the center of investors' attention

BANKOK — Stocks in Asia rose on Monday, ahead of President Donald Trump's decisions to impose higher tariffs on goods imported from China.

Markets in Japan and Thailand were closed for the holidays. The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index rose by 0.2% to 24,908.37, while the Shanghai Composite Index increased by 0.5% to 3,653.50.

The tariffs imposed by Trump and Beijing were suspended for 90 days in April for the resumption of negotiations. The latest round of negotiations, which took place last month in Stockholm, ended without a clear response from Trump's side regarding the extension of the tariff suspension for another 90 days.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 0.3% to 8,831.40, while the Korean Kospi remained unchanged at 3,210.76.

On Friday, the S&P 500 index rose by 0.8% to 6,389.45, just three points below the record maximum. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5% to 44,175.61, while Nasdaq rose by 1% to 21,450.02.

Technology companies, buoyed by their high capitalization, became the main drivers of the market. Nvidia shares rose by 1.1%, while Apple increased by 4.2%.

Gilead Sciences shares rose by 8.3% after reporting financial results that exceeded analysts' forecasts and raised the outlook for next year's earnings. Expedia Group shares rose by 4.1% following similarly positive financial results.

These companies are part of the latest large group of companies in the S&P 500 that reported strong financial results for the second quarter. However, many of them warn that existing tariffs could reduce their earnings.

On the market, there was also a decline in shares of the entertainment company Paramount Skydance by 10.5% after the completion of a merger with Paramount for a sum of $8 billion. Shares of competitor Warner Bros. Discovery decreased by 8%.

This week, investors will receive additional information about inflation in the U.S. at consumer and producer levels, as well as about retail sales.

Trump's trade war and its potential impact on the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy are the center of attention after the U.S. began imposing higher import duties on dozens of countries last Thursday.

The latest decision by the Fed regarding maintaining interest rates included two votes for their reduction. The next meeting will take place in November, and Wall Street believes that the central bank will reduce interest rates by a quarter percentage point due to signals of a weakening economy.

This issue is crucial for the Fed, which aims to reduce inflation to its target level of 2%, simultaneously fulfilling the "full employment" mandate.

Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy and investment prices, although they may also increase inflation. The issue of reversing inflation could hinder the recovery of the labor market.

On other markets, on Monday, the price of WTI crude oil fell by 38 cents to $63.50 per barrel. The price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, dropped by 31 cents to $66.28 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to 147.46 yen from 147.62 yen. The euro rose to $1.1673 from $1.1650.

Tags: USA/Economy