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Informist, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Asian indices largely lower; region assesses China econ data

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Equity indices in Asia were largely lower in early trade, while the South Korean KOSPI index reached a fresh intraday high. Data from China showed a strained housing market, even as the country's GDP growth numbers beat analysts' estimates by a small margin and were in line with the government's growth target. 

 

China's economy grew 4.5% on year in the December quarter and was in line with the government's annual growth target, but beat estimates of 4.4% on-year growth in a Reuters poll. For 2025, the country's economy expanded 5%, which was again in line with the government's annual growth target and ahead of analysts' expectations by 10 basis points. The country's trade surplus also reached a record high as exporters were able to diversify markets to circumvent the pressure seen from the US tariffs. The new house prices for the world's second-largest economy extended their decline, falling 0.4% in December from November, despite the government's vow to stabilise it, Reuters reported, based on calculations from data provided by the country's National Bureau of Statistics. Annually, prices fell 2.7% in December, and marked its fastest decline in five months.

 

South Korea's KOSPI index rose 1% to reach a fresh high of 4891.51 points during the session. Shares of automaker Hyundai reached a record high, rising as much as 12.6%. The country emerged as the largest net buyer of US equities, with net purchases of $66.3 billion in January to November, according to a report from The Chosun Daily. The Korean market is witnessing a 'reverse home bias' wherein investors favour foreign stocks to domestic stocks. This is because the country's stock market has failed to protect its investors, which resulted in low dividends and capital gains. Despite efforts such as revision of the country's Commercial Act, which boosted foreign investment, the distrust in the country's markets remains unsolved, the report said. 

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0822 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
CSI 300 Index	4731.60	(-)0.01
Hang Seng Index	26673.65	(-)0.64
KOSPI	4886.41	0.94
Nikkei 225 Day	53412.88	(-)0.97
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3641.55	(-)0.47
FTSE Singapore Straits Times	4831.52	(-)0.36
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8867.90	(-)0.40

 

 

(Akshat Saksena)

 

 

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Equity Alert: US indices end lower Fri amid uncertainty over next Fed chair

 

MUMBAI--0735 IST--US equity indices ended slightly lower on Friday amid concerns over the appointment of the next US Federal Reserve chair, with US President Donald Trump saying he would like National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett to remain in his position. Hassett was the frontrunner for the position of the next US Federal Reserve chair.  

 

During an appearance at the White House, Trump said he would prefer to keep Hassett in his position as the top economic advisor. "I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth," Trump was quoted as saying by CNBC. Hassett was seen as a frontrunner for the post of Fed chair before the remarks, and has now been overtaken by former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. Investors perceive Hassett as the more market-friendly option and expect him to be more willing than Warsh to keep interest rates low. 

 

"Whether it's Hassett or someone else, I think the assumption that we — at least most of us — have is that whoever it's going to be, this person is going to certainly have a political motive and not the more traditional, trying-to-be-fully-objective mindset in regards to leading the Fed," David Krakauer, vice president of portfolio management at Mercer Advisor, was quoted as saying by CNBC. This looms as a threat to the independence of the US Federal Reserve, which is a concern for everyone, Krakauer added. 

 

Shares of banks and financial institutions were under pressure despite big banks in the country posting solid results, due to concerns over Trump's call for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10%, Reuters reported. The S&P 500 Financials Sector index ended slightly higher on Friday but recorded its biggest weekly decline since October. Despite ending higher for the session, shares of JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. fell 5?ch for the week, CNBC reported.

 

Stocks of chip making companies extended their gains on Friday following optimistic results from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturng Co., and due to the Taiwan-US trade deal, CNBC said. Shares of Broadcom and Advanced Micro Devices ended 2.5% and nearly 2% higher, respectively. The week also saw investors taking money away from some heavyweight technology stocks and investing in undervalued areas, with mid-and small-cap stocks outperforming the benchmark S&P 500, Reuters said.

 

Investors will await the earnings of heavyweights such as Netflix, Johnson & Johnson and Intel this week, according to Reuters. The US equity market will observe a holiday on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Friday:  

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6940.01	(-)0.06
NASDAQ Composite	23515.39	(-)0.06
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49359.33	(-)0.17

 

(Akshat Saksena)

 

US$1 = INR 90.87

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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