Most Asian equity markets advanced in thin year-end trading on Friday, with Japan\u2019s TOPIX index surging to a record high<\/strong> as investors assessed a fresh batch of economic data from Tokyo. Activity across the region remained subdued, with several major markets \u2014 including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong \u2014 closed for holidays, while U.S. index futures traded largely flat during Asian hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japanese shares led regional gains, with the TOPIX climbing more than 1% to an all-time high<\/strong>, supported by strength in heavyweight technology names. The Nikkei 225 also rose 0.6%<\/strong>, reflecting renewed optimism around Japan\u2019s corporate earnings outlook and semiconductor demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investors digested a mixed set of macro signals. Tokyo\u2019s consumer inflation eased in December<\/strong>, but remained above the Bank of Japan\u2019s 2% target \u2014 a development that reinforced expectations the BOJ could continue gradually normalising monetary policy<\/strong> after years of ultra-loose settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, data showed factory output slipped in November<\/strong>, underscoring persistent softness in manufacturing segments such as autos and electronics. However, retail sales improved<\/strong>, pointing to resilient household spending and helping temper concerns over broader economic momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elsewhere in the region, trading was subdued but broadly positive. South Korea\u2019s KOSPI gained 0.5%<\/strong>, extending a rebound in chipmakers as investors tracked overnight strength in Wall Street technology stocks and remained optimistic about continued investment in artificial intelligence and memory demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In mainland China, the CSI 300 rose 0.3%<\/strong> and the Shanghai Composite added 0.2%<\/strong>, though sentiment remained cautious amid lingering concerns about growth and the property sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Markets were more muted elsewhere: India\u2019s Nifty 50 slipped 0.3%<\/strong>, while Singapore\u2019s Straits Times Index was little changed<\/strong>, reflecting the broader wait-and-see tone heading into the final trading sessions of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With liquidity thin and key global catalysts on pause, investors largely stuck to selective positioning \u2014 leaving Japan\u2019s record-setting performance as the standout move in an otherwise quiet regional session.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most Asian equity markets advanced in thin year-end trading on Friday, with Japan\u2019s TOPIX index surging to a record high as investors assessed a fresh batch of economic data from Tokyo. Activity across the region remained subdued, with several major markets \u2014 including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong \u2014 closed for holidays, while U.S. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":31994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6827,49,39,36],"tags":[6849,6851],"class_list":["post-122054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-daily-economic-reports","category-economic-reports","category-global-stock-markets","category-market-updates","tag-asia","tag-stocks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122055,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122054\/revisions\/122055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noortrends.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Japan outperforms on tech strength; Tokyo CPI remains above BOJ target<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Broader Asia trades cautiously on light volumes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n