Asia-Pacific stocks rises on Monday, mirroring gains in global markets after U.S. President Donald Trump announced exemptions for consumer electronics from newly imposed “reciprocal” tariffs, lifting overall risk appetite. Gains, however, were tempered by comments from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who noted the tariff exemption was “not permanent.” Ongoing uncertainty about the economic impact of escalating tariffs, especially in the US, is fueling market volatility across various asset classes. Japan ( NKY:IND ) rose 1.83% to above 34,000 while the broader Topix Index gained 1.4% to 2,500 on Monday, recouping losses from the previous session. The Japanese yen strengthened toward 142.5 per dollar on Monday, hovering near its highest level in over six months. Meanwhile, investors are closely watching upcoming trade talks between Washington and Tokyo. Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Akazawa Ryosei, is scheduled to meet with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this week. China ( SHCOMP ) rose 0.86% to around 3,250 while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.7% to 9,905 on Monday, with mainland stocks climbing for the fifth straight session, and the offshore yuan weakened to around 7.31 per dollar, ending a three-session winning streak, as Trump’s imposition and sudden delay of tariffs continued to sow market uncertainty. The surge followed a pause in tariffs on Chinese electronic imports by the Trump administration, which boosted investor sentiment. Meanwhile, markets reacted positively to fresh data showing China’s export growth surged to a four-month high in March, far exceeding expectations. China's trade surplus surged to USD 102.64 billion in March 2025, up from USD 58.65 billion in the same period a year earlier, exceeding market expectations. Markets also reacted positively to fresh data showing China’s new yuan loans soared to CNY 3.64 trillion in March from CNY 1,010 billion in February, well above expectations, driven by strong growth in both household and corporate borrowing. Additionally, President Xi Jinping is on a tour of Southeast Asia, starting with Vietnam, to strengthen regional ties. Hong Kong ( HSI ) rose 2.36% to 21,461 on Monday morning, rising for the fifth straight session and hitting a two-month-high. India ( SENSEX ) market closed. Australia ( AS51 ) rose 1.49% to around 7,700 on Monday, recovering from the previous session’s losses as stronger commodity prices boosted mining and energy stocks. The Australian dollar strengthened to around $0.63 on Monday, marking its fourth consecutive session of gains. In the U.S., on Friday, all three major indexes ended higher , extending the week’s volatile momentum, closing out a turbulent week on a high note as hopes for a potential US-China trade deal lifted investor sentiments. U.S. stock futures rose Monday as investors digested the latest trade updates and looked ahead to a busy week of corporate earnings: Dow +0.27%; S&P 500 +0.67%; Nasdaq +1.09%. This week brings a busy schedule with the US earnings season ramping up and key economic data releases including US retail sales, industrial production, China's Q1 GDP, UK inflation and jobs, and CPI from Japan and India. Several major central banks, including the ECB, Bank of Canada, Turkey, and South Korea, will also announce policy decisions. Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: China's March trade surplus above estimates, exports surge while imports fall Trump intensifies tariff pressure: "No one off the hook," denies tariff rollbacks Trump says his administration will look at 'whole electronics supply chain' China's March inflation drops for second straight month; issues warning on travel to U.S. Trump issues 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs except for China
