Asian shares trade mixed following Wall St volatility; Nikkei gains limited by Softbank drop

Asia stocks trade mixed on Wednesday, mirroring global market sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei index was hampered by notable losses in the heavyweight SoftBank Group ( OTCPK:SFTBY ) ( OTCPK:SFTBF ). The conglomerate's stock fell as much as 10% Wednesday after news broke that it had s old its entire stake in chip giant Nvidia . In the U.S., the technology sector lagged behind the broader market surge. Shares of NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ) closed down by 2.9% following the news of the SoftBank stake sale, a move that echoed through parts of the Asian tech space despite Hong Kong's local strength. Gold prices fell toward $4,100 per ounce on Wednesday but remained near a more than two-week high, as investors weighed growing expectations of an imminent Federal Reserve rate cut against the approaching end of the US government shutdown. South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 2.6% in October 2025 from 2.5% in September, matching August’s level. Japan ( NKY:IND ) rose 0.30% to around 50,880 while the broader Topix Index advanced 0.8% to 3,348 on Wednesday, recouping losses from the previous session. The Japanese yen slipped toward 154.5 per dollar on Wednesday, approaching nine-month lows. The Reuters Tankan index for Japanese manufacturers rose to +17 in November 2025 from +8 in October, marking its strongest level since January 2022 as a weaker yen boosted global demand for cars and electronics. Meanwhile, SoftBank Group slumped 5% after selling its entire $5.83 billion stake in US chipmaker Nvidia to refocus on ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Japan’s economic revitalization minister, Minoru Kiuchi, warned that a weaker yen could raise consumer prices through higher import costs, calling for close oversight. China ( SHCOMP ) fell 0.15% to above 4,010, while the Shenzhen Component slipped 0.5% to 13,220 on Wednesday, as mainland markets struggled for clear direction amid a lack of major catalysts. , and the offshore yuan China plans to step up policy support to attract more private capital into the energy sector, a senior official said, as part of efforts to revive weak private investment. In corporate news, Shenzhen Mindray shares rose nearly 1% after the medical equipment maker submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Hong Kong ( HSI ) rose 0.49% to 26,960 in early trade on Wednesday, maintaining gains for the third straight session and reaching their highest level in a month. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.70% to 84,417 in early trade on Wednesday, extending gains for a third consecutive session and hitting its highest level in two weeks, buoyed by optimism over India–US trade talks. Exit poll results from the Bihar Assembly elections further boosted confidence, indicating a likely victory for the incumbent National Democratic Alliance. Air cargo movement between India and the United States has plunged to a nine-year low, following steep tariff hikes imposed by the Donald Trump administration, The Times of India reported, citing official data. Australia ( AS51 ) fell 0.22% to around 8,830 in Wednesday morning trade, recouping some of the prior session’s losses as commodity stocks rallied, driven by lithium miners. The value of new owner-occupier loan commitments for dwellings in Australia rose 4.7% quarter-on-quarter to a 3-1/2-year high of AUD 58.2 billion in Q3 2025, accelerating from a downwardly revised 2.2% gain in the previous quarter. In the U.S. on Tuesday, all three major indexes ended mixed as optimism grew that the US government shutdown could soon end. The US economy should return to growth of 3% to 4% by the first quarter of 2026, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Tuesday, according to reports from CNBC, as Reuters reported. U.S. stock futures were little changed on Wednesday, after the major averages ended mixed in the previous session: Dow +0.17% ; S&P 500 +0.22% ; Nasdaq +0.39% . Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: SoftBank unloads entire stake in Nvidia for $5.8B China consumer inflation rises 0.2% Y/Y, core CPI hits 20-month high, PPI decline slows China's trade surplus shrinks in October as exports unexpectedly fall combined with a rise in imports China’s factory growth cools to 50.6 in October, export uncertainty rises China's economic slowdown deepens as factory activity hits six-month low to 49.0 in October