Asia markets close mixed<\/p>\n
Asia Pacific markets ended the trading day mixed.<\/p>\n
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225<\/a> closed flat at 40,654.70, while the Topix added 0.4% to end the trading day at 2,920.18.<\/p>\n Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0closed 0.6% higher at 8,756.40. Mainland China’s CSI 300 ended the day flat at 4,151.24.<\/p>\n South Korea’s Kospi added 0.74% to close at 3,254.47.<\/p>\n \u2014 Nur Hikmah Md Ali<\/p>\n HSBC announces $3 billion share buyback after second-quarter profit plunges 29%, missing expectations<\/p>\n Europe’s largest lender HSBC on Wednesday missed second-quarter profit expectations, mostly on account of impairment charges, according to the bank. The bank also announced a share buyback of $3 billion.<\/p>\n It reported profit before tax for the three months ended June of $6.3 billion, down 29% from a year ago.<\/p>\n Here are HSBC’s second-quarter 2025 results compared with consensus estimates\u00a0compiled by the bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n Operating expenses rose by 10% compared to the same period a year ago, and were largely owed to restructuring and other related costs as well as from increased spending and investment in technology, the bank said.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Consumers and investors are disappointed with Li Auto’s new model, say experts<\/p>\n Li Auto’s shares plunging over 11% Wednesday is a reflection that consumers and investors are disappointed with the new models, industry experts told CNBC.<\/p>\n “The market reaction reflects disappointment with the Li MEGA and now the Li L8 six-seat battery EV launches,” said Bill Russo, the founder and CEO of Automobility. Investors are questioning the company’s product strategy and timing, particularly as the pure battery electric segment is becoming highly competitive and price-sensitive, he added.<\/p>\n Consumers may also be disappointed that the low-end i8 variant does not have features typical of Li Auto cars like in-car refrigerator and large cinema display, said Eugene Hsiao, head of China equity strategy at Macquarie.<\/p>\n Hanyang Wang, an analyst at 86 Research, noted that Li Auto’s lack of disclosure of order volume following the launch of the i8 could have also raised investors’ concerns about insufficient demand for the model.<\/p>\n “We\u00a0think\u00a0the\u00a0underwhelming\u00a0order\u00a0performance\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0i8\u00a0will\u00a0put\u00a0sales\u00a0pressure on\u00a0Li\u00a0Auto,” he told CNBC.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Li Auto stocks plunge over 11% after debuting six-seat electric SUV<\/p>\n Stocks of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto fell over 11% after it launched a six-seat electric vehicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Li i8 is available in three variants \u2014 Pro, Max, and Ultra \u2014 priced at RMB321,800 ($44,838) RMB349,800, and RMB369,800, respectively. Customer deliveries are set to begin on Aug. 20, 2025.<\/p>\n \u2014Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s second-quarter inflation drops to lowest since March 2021, supporting case for rate cut<\/p>\n Australia’s headline inflation rate in the second quarter of the year slipped to its lowest point since March 2021, coming in at 2.1% year over year, compared to 2.4% in the preceding period.<\/p>\n This was lower than the 2.2% expected by economists polled by Reuters, and is almost touching the lower band of the 2%-3% target set by the Reserve Bank of Australia.<\/p>\n On a quarter-over-quarter basis, inflation slowed to 0.7%, compared to 0.8% expected in the Reuters poll and 0.9% in the first quarter.<\/p>\n The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that the most significant price rises in the quarter were seen in housing, food and non-alcoholic beverages and health, although a fall in transport costs partially offset the rise.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lim Hui Jie<\/p>\n U.S.-China trade talks end without extension of tariff truce, as Trump weighs options<\/p>\n A potential extension of a\u00a0tariff pause<\/a>\u00a0between the United States and\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0will not be agreed to until President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0signs off on the plan, U.S. negotiators said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Trump “has final say on all the trade deals” and the pending tariff truce, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s Eamon Javers.<\/p>\n The remarks came after top trade officials for the two countries concluded talks in Stockholm, Sweden, their third round of high-level discussions since May.<\/p>\n “We’re going to head back to Washington, D.C. We’re going to talk to the president about whether that’s something that he wants so do,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters following the talks.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin Breuninger<\/p>\n Singapore holds monetary policy, flags slowdown in second half of the year<\/p>\n Singapore’s central bank warned that the city-state’s economy is “projected to moderate in the second half of 2025 from its strong pace in [the first half],” as it kept its monetary policy unchanged.<\/p>\n The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it would hold the width and level at which its policy band is centered amid trade concerns from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n “In particular, the trade-related sectors should see some pullback,” the central bank said in its monetary policy statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n “Prospects for the Singapore economy remain subject to significant uncertainty, especially in 2026. Changes in effective tariff rates worldwide could impact the performance of Singapore’s externally-oriented sectors,” MAS added.<\/p>\n Financial volatility and geopolitical shocks could deepen the impact of the global slowdown and add pressure on Singapore’s growth outlook, MAS said.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lim Hui Jie<\/p>\n Asia-Pacific markets open mixed as U.S.-China trade truce hangs in a limbo <\/p>\n Asia markets started the trading day mixed.<\/p>\n Japan’s benchmark\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a>\u00a0was flat at the open, while the Topix inched higher 0.1%.<\/p>\n South Korea’s\u00a0Kospi<\/a>\u00a0gained 0.48%, and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.42%.<\/p>\n Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0lost 0.19%.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Opening calls<\/p>\n Happy mid-week from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a lower open.<\/p>\n Futures for Hong Kong’s\u00a0Hang Seng Index<\/a>\u00a0stood at 25,344, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI’s last close of 25,524.45<\/p>\n Similarly, Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0was set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,662, compared with its last close of 8,704.6.<\/p>\n\n