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<\/p>\nAustralia stocks hit a record high in early trade<\/p>\n
Australian equities rose as much as 0.61% to hit a record high of 8,824 in early trade.<\/p>\n
Index heavyweights like Commonwealth Bank and Westpac Banking Corporation were up over 1% and 0.74% respectively. Mining firm BHP Group was 0.28% higher.<\/p>\n
Stock Chart IconStock chart icon<\/p>\n
Australian stocks hit a record high in early trade<\/p>\n
Markets kick-start Wednesday trading mixed<\/p>\n
Asia markets opened mixed. <\/p>\n
Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0was up 0.38% at the open. Japan’s benchmark\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a> slid 0.12% and the Topix rose 0.45%.<\/p>\n South Korea’s Kospi and small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.64% and 0.57%, respectively.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Opening calls<\/p>\n Happy Wednesday from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a lower open.<\/p>\n Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0was set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,739, compared with its last close of 8,770.4.<\/p>\n Japan’s benchmark\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a>\u00a0was set to open higher, with the futures contract in Osaka last traded at 40,555 against the index’s last close of 40,549.54.<\/p>\n Futures for Hong Kong’s\u00a0Hang Seng Index<\/a>\u00a0stood at 24,812, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI’s last close of 24,902.53.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Stocks close in the red<\/p>\n The three leading U.S. indexes finished lower Tuesday.<\/p>\n The S&P 500 fell 0.49%, closing at 6,299.19, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.65% to end at 20,916.55. The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved 61.90 points lower, or 0.14%, to settle at 44,111.74.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sean Conlon<\/p>\n Trump joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss chips, pharma and more<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near Air Force One at the the Lehigh Valley International Airport on August 03, 2025 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images<\/p>\n President Donald Trump spoke with “Squawk Box<\/a>” in a wide-ranging conversation. Here are some of the highlights:<\/p>\n On semiconductors, Trump said his administration is going to announce new tariffs “within the next week or so.”<\/a> “We’re going to be announcing on semiconductors and chips, which is a separate category, because we want them made in the United States,” he said during the interview.<\/p>\n When it comes to his planned pharmaceutical tariffs, Trump said that the levies could eventually reach up to 250%<\/a>. That’s the highest tariff rate he’s threatened to date.<\/p>\n