European benchmarks are declining but Asian shares finish mostly higher
[September 22, 2025] By
YURI KAGEYAMA
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares finished mostly higher Monday, cheered by a
record finish last week on Wall Street, but European indexes were
declining in early trading.
France's CAC 40 slipped 0.1% in early trading to 7,844.36, while the
German DAX lost 0.6% to 23,504.07. Britain's FTSE 100 was little
changed, inching up less than 0.1% to 9,225.17. U.S. shares were set to
drift lower with Dow futures down 0.3% at 46,524.00. S&P 500 futures
shed 0.2% to 6,707.00.
Earlier in Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.0% to finish at
45,493.66, rebounding from the decline late last week over concerns
about the Bank of Japan's selling its holdings. Such concerns abated as
markets began to see any move as gradual.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to 8,810.90. South Korea's Kospi
gained 0.7% to 3,468.65. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.8% to
26,344.14, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.2% to 3,828.58.
The recent Wall Street rally has come on expectations the Federal
Reserve will continue to cut interest rates in order to give the economy
a boost. The central bank lowered them for the first time this year on
Sept. 17.
If the Fed keeps cutting interest rates, that could give the struggling
housing market a boost. But the growing expectations mean the market
could be in for a disappointment and drop sharply if the Fed does not
cut as much as traders expect.
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A dealer watches computer monitors near the screens showing the
foreign exchange rates at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul,
South Korea, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
 Fed officials have said more rate
cuts are likely this year and next. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said
last week that the central bank may have to react quickly because
inflation is remaining stubbornly high in the American economy while
the job market is slowing, all the while as President Donald Trump’s
tariffs threaten to push inflation higher.
“Every time the market seems to be running out of momentum, it fools
most of us by pushing to higher heights,” said Jay Woods, chief
market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets.
“As traders continue to monitor new highs on a daily basis, they are
really focused on what Fed officials will have to say as they make
the speaking rounds this week.”
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 63 cents to $63.04 a
barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 15 cents to
$66.83 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 147.87 Japanese yen
from 147.91 yen. The euro cost $1.1766, up from $1.1745.
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