CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stock markets are trading mixed on Monday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street on Friday, amid easing concerns about the potential for an increase in interest rates after data from the US showed a significant deterioration in U.S. consumer sentiment in August and an unexpected decline in U.S. retail sales in July. Asian markets closed mixed on Friday.
However, traders may be becoming increasingly worried about the outlook for global inflation and economic growth amid persistently high crude oil prices. The U.S. and Iran continue to spar on their demands, leaving the Strait of Hormuz shut for shipping traffic.
The US has indicated they plan to use economic measures to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns about a prolonged stalemate.
The Australian stock market is modestly lower on Monday, extending the losses in the previous three sessions, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street on Friday. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index is falling below the 9,100.00 level, with weakness is financial and technology stocks partially offset by gains in energy and mining stocks.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is losing 27.50 points or 0.30 percent to 9,087.70, after hitting a low of 9,077.10 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is down 19.30 points or 0.21 percent to 9,293.90. Australian stocks closed significantly lower on Friday.
Among the major miners, Mineral Resources and Rio Tinto are edging up 0.3 percent each, while BHP Group is gaining almost 1 percent. Fortescue is flat.
Oil stocks are mostly higher. Beach energy is gaining almost 1 percent, while Woodside Energy and Santos are edging up 0.3 to 0.4 percent each. Origin Energy is losing more than 1 percent.
Among tech stocks, Afterpay owner Block losing almost 1 percent, WiseTech Global is declining more than 3 percent, Zip is slipping more than 2 percent, Xero is down more than 1 percent and Appen is edging down 0.3 percent.
Gold miners are mostly higher. Resolute Mining is adding more than 2 percent and Newmont is advancing more than 3 percent, while Northern Star Resources Genesis Minerals and Evolution Mining are gaining almost 2 percent each.
Among the big four banks, Commonwealth Bank is edging down 0.1 percent, Westpac is losing almost 1 percent, ANZ Banking is down almost 2 percent and National Australia Bank is declining more than 4 percent.
In other news, shares in Iress are tumbling more than 9 percent despite lifting net profit in the first half of 2026 from a year ago.
Shares in Audinate are surging more than 12 percent after it slipped to a underlying loss before tax for the full year, compared to a profit a year ago.
Shares in Aurizon are plunging almost 11 percent as the company reported underlying earnings that was in line with analysts' expectations.
Shares in L1 Group are surging more than 10 percent after full year underlying net profit nearly doubled from last year.
Shares in JB Hi-Fi are diving almost 14 per cent after reporting results that fell short of market expectations as shoppers pulled back spending in the final quarter.
In the currency market, the Aussie dollar is trading at $0.709 on Monday.
The Japanese stock market is slightly higher on Monday after opening in the green and briefly dipping in to the red, extending the gains in the previous four sessions, despite the broadly negative cues from Wall Street on Friday. The Nikkei 225 is above the 68,700 level, with gains in automakers and technology stocks nearly offset by weakness in index heavyweights, exporters and financial stocks.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index closed the morning session at 68,721.44, up 7.64 points or 0.01 percent, after hitting a low of 68,492.00 and a high of 69,100.43 earlier. Japanese shares ended notably higher on Friday.
Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is down almost 1 percent, while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing is losing more than 1 percent. Among automakers, Honda is gaining almost 2 percent and Toyota is edging up 0.4 percent.
In the tech space, Advantest is gaining more than 2 percent, Tokyo Electron is edging up 0.2 percent and Screen Holdings is adding more than 1 percent.
In the banking sector, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial is losing almost 1 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial is edging down 0.4 percent and Mizuho Financial is declining almost 2 percent.
The major exporters are mostly lower. Mitsubishi Electric is edging down 0.4 percent, Canon is down more than 1 percent and Sony is losing more than 2 percent, while Panasonic is edging up 0.3 percent.
Among the other major losers, Ebara is plunging more than 9 percent and Trend Micro is tumbling more than 9 percent, while NEC and Dentsu Group are sliding almost 7 percent each. Nomura Research Institute is slipping more than 4 percent, while BayCurrent, Asahi Group, SHIFT and Sompo Holdings are declining almost 4 percent each. Sumco and Fujitsu are losing more than 3 percent each, while Hitachi, Kirin Holdings, Kubota and Sapporo Holdings are down almost 3 percent each.
Conversely, Kioxia Holdings is surging almost 6 percent and NEXON is advancing more than 4 percent, while ARCHION and MS&AD Insurance are gaining almost 4 percent each. Sumitomo Metal Mining is adding more than 3 percent, while Dowa Holdings, Mitsubishi Materials and Mitsui Kinzoku are up almost 3 percent each.
In economic news, Japan's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent on quarter in the second quarter of 2026, the Cabinet Office said in Monday's preliminary reading. That missed forecasts for a gain of 0.5 percent, which would have been unchanged. On a yearly basis, GDP was up 1.1 percent - again shy of expectations for an increase of 2.0 percent following the upwardly revised 1.9 percent gain in the three months prior (originally 1.8 percent).
Capital expenditure dropped 1.2 percent on quarter, missing forecasts for a gain of 0.4 percent following the downwardly revised 1.0 percent decline in the previous quarter (originally -0.7 percent). External demand was up 0.5 percent on quarter, up from 0.3 percent three months earlier. Private consumption was flat on quarter after rising 0.5 percent in Q1.
In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the lower 159 yen-range on Monday.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong is surging 1.6 percent, while China and Taiwan are up 0.5 percent each. Malaysia is relatively flat. New Zealand and Singapore are down 0.8 and 0.5 percent, respectively. South Korea and Indonesia are closed for Liberation day and Independence Day, respectively.
On Wall Street, stocks moved modestly lower during trading on Friday, giving back ground after moving mostly higher over the two previous sessions. Selling pressure remained relatively subdued, however, limiting the downside for the major averages.
The major averages all finished the day in negative territory. The Dow dipped 107.58 points or 0.2 percent to 53,732.41, the Nasdaq fell 73.86 points or 0.3 percent to 26,729.16 and the S&P 500 slipped 13.23 points or 0.2 percent to 7,785.76.
Meanwhile, the major European markets turned mixed over the course of the session. While the German DAX Index rose by 0.5 percent, the French CAC 40 Index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index both dipped by 0.2 percent.
Crude oil prices surged on Friday as the U.S. and Iran continue to spar on their demands, leaving the Strait of Hormuz shut for shipping traffic. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was up $1.05 or 1.29 percent at $82.30 per barrel.
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