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Informist, Thursday, Apr. 23, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices in Asia mixed; Nikkei 225, KOSPI notch fresh highs

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Indices were mixed early Thursday, with most markets down amid caution even as Japan's Nikkei 225 and South Korea's KOSPI hit fresh record highs for two consecutive sessions. Despite US President Donald Trump extending the ceasefire in West Asia, uncertainty over peace talks with Iran kept Brent Crude oil futures high. Crude prices were up over $103 per barrel, and are likely to be a dampener for market sentiment.

 

South Korea's GDP for the three months ended March expanded at its highest pace in nearly six years, at 1.7% on quartery and 2.7% annually. Reuters had estimated the country's GDP to grow 1% on quarter. Exports increased 5.1% in the quarter, supported by exports of information technology goods such as semiconductors.

 

Further, the South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix posted record profit and revenue in the quarter ended March. The company's revenue nearly tripled from the same period last year, and operating profit rose fivefold on year, CNBC reported. The stock of the company was higher during early trade, but it could not sustain the gains. At 0822 IST, SK Hynix was down 0.4%. 

 

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 jumped 0.7% to touch a new record of 60013.98 points during early trade, but the index pared all those gains. At 0756 IST, the benchmark 225-stock index was down 0.7%. On the macroeconomic front, the S&P Global Flash Japan Purchasing Managers' Index was seen at its softest pace in four months as it slipped to 52.4 in April from 53.0 in March. Lesser growth in the services index was offset by growth in the manufacturing index. The manufacturing index rose to 54.9 points in April from 51.6 in March, while the services index fell to 51.2 from 53.4. "There were reports that some manufacturing firms boosted output due to concerns and uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and the potential for further supply chain disruptions. The latter contributed to not only a much sharper rise in costs, but the most pronounced increase in average delivery times for manufacturers' inputs for nearly four years," Annabel Fiddes, the economics associate director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said in a report.

 

Following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0823 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4793.7406	(-)0.12
Hang Seng Index	25930.88	(-)0.89
Nikkei 225 Day	58952.11	(-)1.06
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3700.10	(-1.20
KOSPI	6449.58	0.49
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4955.07	(-)0.95
S&P/ASX 200 INDEX	8766.30	(-)0.87

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

 

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Equity Alert: US mkts rally on earnings boost; S&P 500, Nasdaq hit new highs

 

MUMBAI--0740 IST--Benchmark indices in the US ended on a strong note Wednesday as earnings momentum gripped market participants. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ hit fresh all-time-highs during the session. Positive sentiment stemming from US President Donald Trump extending the ceasefire pact with Iran also supported upward moves on Wall Street. However, Brent Crude oil futures were, however, still high at over $100 per barrel. 

 

Of 87 S&P companies that have reported their earnings so far, 81% have reported surpassed profit estimates, while 76% have reported better-than-expected revenue, CNBC reported. Shares of Boston Scientific, GE Vernova, Boeing, and United Airlines were in focus after the companies reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter ended March. Aviation giant Boeing's losses contracted more than what was estimated in the March quarter to $7 million from $31 million a year ago. The loss per share was at 20 cents, significantly lower than the 83-cent-per-share loss anticipated by analysts. Shares of the company rose almost 6%, and was the top performer in the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average.

 

On the flip side, shares of United Airlines fell 6?ter the company slashed its outlook for the full year. The company sees earnings to fall between $7 and $11 per share, down from its earlier guided forecast of $12 and $14 a share. High jet fuel prices due to the war in West Asia are seen having an adverse impact even while demand is likely to be strong. 

 

GE Vernova soared over 13% to hit a new high and emerged as the best performing stock in the S&P 500. The company raised its forecast for revenue and core profit margin. It expects revenue to be between $44.5 billion and $45.5 billion in 2026, compared with a range of $44 billion-$45 billion guided earlier. The company also hiked its guidance for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation margin for the full year to 12-14% from 11-13%. Among some other standout movers was chipmaker Micron Technology, whose shares jumped almost 9%. 

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices on Wednesday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49490.03	0.69
NASDAQ Composite	24657.567	1.64
S&P 500	7137.90	1.05

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

US$1 = INR 93.795

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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