Asia markets rise as Powell hints at September rate cut; U.S. futures steady ahead of key tech earnings

Asia stock rise on Monday following an upbeat session on Wall Street Friday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled the possibility of a September rate cut during his Jackson Hole speech. China and Hong Kong markets led the region's gains, with local technology and artificial intelligence stocks performing particularly well. Silver prices held steady around $38.8 per ounce on Monday, hovering near their highest levels since 2011 amid bets on US Federal Reserve policy easing. Gold dipped to around $3,360 per ounce on Monday, following a more than 1% gain in the previous session. Japan ( NKY:IND ) rose 0.25% to above 42,900, while the broader Topix Index gained 0.5% to 3,116. The Japanese yen weakened to around 147.4 per dollar on Monday, giving back gains from the previous session, despite hawkish comments from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda. Speaking at the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole conference on Saturday, Ueda said wages in Japan are expected to rise further amid a tightening labor market, signaling confidence that conditions for another interest rate hike are coming together. China ( SHCOMP ) rose 0.78% to above 3,860, while the Shenzhen Component climbed 1.8% to 12,384 on Monday, with the former hitting fresh ten-year highs as market momentum continued to strengthen, and the offshore yuan edged higher to around 7.16 per dollar on Monday, extending gains from the previous session to its highest level in four weeks. The People’s Bank of China injected a total of CNY 600 billion into financial institutions on August 25 through its one-year medium-term lending facility, aiming to maintain ample liquidity in the banking system. China has released draft regulations aimed at curbing unfair pricing practices on internet platforms, following widespread complaints from merchants and consumers. Hong Kong ( HSI ) rose 1.90% to 25,836 in Monday morning deals, extending gains for the second session and hitting their highest level in almost four years. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.11% to 81,459 in morning trade on Monday, erasing losses from the previous session. The Indian rupee weakened to around 87.43 per dollar on Monday, marking its third straight session of losses. Trade talks with Washington are ongoing, but India has drawn firm redlines, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Saturday, underscoring the need to protect farmers and small producers. His comments come days before additional U.S. tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods take effect, among the steepest levies imposed by Washington, in response to New Delhi’s increased Russian oil imports. Australia ( AS51 ) rose 0.01% moving back above the record 9,000 milestones breached last week. The Australian dollar weakened to below $0.648 on Monday, pulling back from a 1.1% surge in the previous session. Australia’s government has unveiled a set of urgent measures to accelerate home construction amid a deepening national housing crisis, Bloomberg News said. In the U.S. on Friday, all three major indexes ended higher after Fed Chair Powell signaled the possibility of a September rate cut during his Jackson Hole speech, sparking the strongest cross-asset rally since April. Canada said Friday it will lift its 25% tariff on about half of the U.S. goods targeted since March, in a bid to reset trade ties with Washington. U.S. stock futures held steady on Monday as investors awaited a busy week of corporate earnings: Dow -0.08% ; S&P 500 -0.06% ; Nasdaq -0.05% . Nvidia and CrowdStrike are set to report results on Wednesday, followed by Dell and Marvell on Thursday. Attention will also turn to Friday’s release of the July personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge. Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: Japan's core inflation tops forecasts in July, rose 3.1% Y/Y Japan's manufacturing sector shrinks less than expected to 49.9 in August, services growth slows to 52.7 Australia's manufacturing and services sectors show strongest growth in nearly three years PBOC keeps lending rates at record lows for third straight month Japan's economy accelerates by 0.3% in Q2, beating forecasts