Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed after Wall St snaps out of its holiday-season funk
Associated PressHONG KONG — Asian stocks are mixed after Wall Street snapped out of a spell of holiday season blues, with markets in Tokyo and China declining. Japan’s finance minister rang in the New Year as Tokyo’s market resumed trading after the long traditional holiday, as traders in suits and kimonos clapped for good fortune in 2025. “The Japanese government will act to secure economic growth led by wage increases and investment,” the finance minister, Katsunobu Kato said, vowing to “grasp signs of recovery” and to ensure that “every single citizen can feel the improvement in their salaries.” The prevailing sentiment in much of Asia has been caution over potential changes by President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially denting growth for a region heavily reliant on trade. Nippon Steel was expected to sue after U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday rejected its nearly $15 billion bid to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. Nippon Steel’s shares fell 0.8% in Tokyo on Monday. U.S. stock indexes have vaulted to records after the U.S. economy kept growing despite high interest rates that have helped push inflation nearly all the way down to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.