Asia stocks trade mostly lower on Tuesday, despite a strong Wall Street rally overnight amid easing US-China trade tensions, with Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping expected to meet later this month. The renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and China kept investor caution high. Japanese shares, in particular, fell sharply amid internal political uncertainty. Meanwhile, investors are now awaiting remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell at the NABE annual meeting later today, hoping to gain insights on the US central bank’s rate-cut path. Gold prices hit another record high of $4,160 per ounce on Tuesday, with investors ramping up safe-haven buying. Singapore’s economy expanded 2.9% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, slowing from an upwardly revised 4.5% in Q2 as weakness in manufacturing weighed on overall performance. The Monetary Authority of Singapore left its monetary policy unchanged on Tuesday, maintaining the rate of appreciation of the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate (S$NEER) band, with no change to its width or centre. Japan ( NKY:IND ) fell 2.61% to around 47,590, while the broader Topix Index lost 0.7% to 3,175 in post-holiday trade on Tuesday, with Japanese shares declining for a second session. The Japanese yen fell to around 152.3 per dollar on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session, as mounting political uncertainty dampened investor sentiment. On Friday, Japan’s Komeito party announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party, deepening doubts over Sanae Takaichi’s policy agenda and complicating her path to the premiership. China ( SHCOMP ) fell 0.27% to climb above 3,900 on Tuesday, ending a two-day losing streak amid signs of easing US-China trade tensions, with both sides indicating readiness to restart negotiations, and the offshore yuan edged lower to around 7.14 per dollar on Tuesday, trading within a narrow range. China and the U.S. are escalating their trade war by imposing new port fees on ocean shipping firms starting Tuesday, targeting vessels that transport goods and making maritime trade a new front in their ongoing trade war. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that President Trump remains on course to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month as both nations seek to defuse tensions over tariffs and export controls. Looking ahead, investors will closely watch China’s upcoming inflation report, expected to show a modest year-on-year contraction and a slight monthly gain. Hong Kong ( HSI ) fell 1.05% to 25,956 in Tuesday morning trade, attempting to recover following six consecutive sessions of losses. India ( SENSEX ) fell 0.26% Australia ( AS51 ) rose 0.16% to 8,868 on Tuesday, marking its third consecutive session of losses and remaining at its lowest level in nearly two weeks, as notable declines in major banking stocks outweighed strong performances in the mining and gold sectors. The Australian dollar stabilized around $0.651 on Tuesday, as minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's October meeting indicated that the central bank saw no urgency for additional rate cuts. The RBA held its cash rate at 3.6% in September 2025, following a 25bps cut in the previous month, keeping borrowing costs at its lowest since April 2023. On the economic front, Australia's NAB Business Confidence Index rose to 7 in September 2025, up from a three-month low of 4 in August, remaining above its long-term average. The South Korean won hovered near 1,427 per dollar on Tuesday, showing little change from the previous session, as markets cautiously evaluated recent signals from Seoul and Washington amid ongoing trade negotiations. South Korea is in talks with the U.S. to establish a bilateral foreign exchange swap line as part of a broader trade deal, amid concerns that proposed U.S. investments could disrupt its currency market. In the U.S. on Monday, all three major indexes ended sharply higher on Monday, rebounding from Friday’s steep sell-off after President Trump struck a softer tone on US-China trade tensions, assuring that relations with Beijing “will all be fine.” Investors now await quarterly results from major banks including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs later in the day. U.S. stock futures edged lower on Tuesday: Dow -0.17% ; S&P 500 -0.41% ; Nasdaq -0.55% . Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: China's exports surge to six-month high, driving September trade surplus to $90.45B Stock index futures rebound as Trump downplays China rift Japan's producer prices rises more than expected in September to 2.7% U.S. sanctions 29 companies in China, Turkey, and UAE over Iran military support China tightens export rules for crucial rare earths and related technology
