Mount Fuji and the Shinjuku skyline in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday as investors parsed Japan’s trade data.
Japan’s exports in November grew 6.1% year on year, data from the country’s finance ministry released Wednesday showed. The growth sharply beat expectations of an average 4.8% rise estimated by economists polled by Reuters, and was higher than the 3.6% seen in the previous month.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.26% to close at 49,512.28, while the Topix closed around the flatline at 3,369.39. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.43% to 4,056.41 and the small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.55% to 911.07.
Japanese financial institution SBI Shinsei Bank rose over 12% after a 322 billion yen ($2.1 billion) IPO. The shares were priced at 1,450 yen each.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.16% to 8,585.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 0.97%, while the CSI 300 on mainland China was 1.83% higher at 4,579.88.
Shares of Chinese chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits soared more than 700% in their market debut in Shanghai on Wednesday, after the company raised nearly $600 million in its initial public offering. Similar to Moore Threads, which saw a robust debut at the start of the month, MetaX develops graphics processing units for artificial intelligence applications, tapping into a fast-growing sector driven by rising adoption of AI services.
Shares of crypto exchange HashKey opened about 3% higher as it debuted on the Hong Kong stock exchange, after raising about $207 million in its initial public offering.
