Asia stock trade mixed on Thursday, following Wall Street's mixed performance on rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this month. China's markets, however, lagged behind, with benchmarks falling on reports that regulators are considering new rules to curb speculation. Elsewhere, the US dollar struggles after weaker July JOLTS job openings, with traders now eyeing weekly jobless claims, ADP employment data, and the ISM Services PMI later. Silver slipped 1% to around $40.7 per ounce on Thursday, easing from 14-year highs. Gold dipped to around $3,540 per ounce on Thursday, pausing its longest winning streak since March but remaining at record highs. Japan ( NKY:IND ) rose 1.56% to above 42,400 while the broader Topix Index added 0.7% to 3,070 on Thursday. The Japanese yen strengthened past 148 per dollar on Thursday, recovering from the prior session’s losses. China ( SHCOMP ) fell 1.44% to below 3,770 while the Shenzhen Component slid 2.2% to 12,200 on Thursday, marking a third straight decline as artificial intelligence and semiconductor shares came under heavy selling pressure. Chinese regulators are weighing measures to cool the stock market after a strong rally since early August, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. Furthermore, China has imposed new tariffs on certain U.S. optical fiber products following a six-month probe that concluded American exporters were evading existing anti-dumping rules. The levies, set between 33.3% and 78.2%, took effect Thursday in Beijing on “certain cut-off shifted single-mode optical fiber,” the Ministry of Commerce said. Hong Kong ( HSI ) fell 1.17% to 25,100 in Thursday morning deals, marking the third straight decline amid broad-based sector losses. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.42% to 80,958 in morning trade on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session after the Goods and Services Tax Council approved a major overhaul of the GST regime. The new GST rate structure, set to take effect on September 22, aims to boost domestic consumption and offset the impact of the recently imposed 50% US tariffs. India's free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association will come into effect on October 1, according to a statement by Switzerland, as reported by the Economic Times. Australia ( AS51 ) rose 0.97% to above 8,805 on Thursday, snapping a four-session losing streak, as heavyweight miners and gold stocks advanced on firmer commodity prices. The Australian dollar was little changed at around $0.654 on Thursday, holding its recent gains, supported by stronger-than-expected trade balance figures. Australia's trade surplus expanded significantly in July, reaching A$7.31 billion. The surge was driven by rising exports, which increased by 3.3%, combined with a decline in imports, which fell by 1.3%. At the same time, household spending climbed 5.1% year-on-year in July, the highest growth since November 2023, following a 4.6% rise in June. On Wednesday, RBA Governor Michele Bullock warned that further interest rate cuts may be unlikely if consumer spending continues to rise rapidly. In the U.S. on Wednesday, all three major indexes ended mostly higher as tech strength offset broader market weakness, with investors weighing a favorable antitrust ruling for Google against signs of labor market softening. U.S. stock futures held firm on Thursday following a mixed performance on Wall Street: Dow -0.11% ; S&P 500 +0.07% ; Nasdaq +0.14% . Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: Australia’s trade surplus widens to A$7.31B in July; exports hit 21-month high Australia's GDP jumps in Q2 by 0.6% Q/Q, marking 15th straight quarter of growth China services PMI hits 15-month high to 53.0 in August, as new export orders surge Japan services PMI revised upward at 53.1 in August amid rise in new orders China's factory activity rebounds in private survey while official data stays weak
