Asian markets opened Wednesday's session on a positive note, with South Korea setting the tone among the region's main indexes. The Kospi led gains, rising more than 5%, while the Kosdaq advanced 2%.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 posted a 0,34% gain, while the Topix was virtually flat. The index futures contract in Chicago was traded at 67.145 points, compared with the latest close of 66.232,19.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0,12%, with futures around 8.763 points, compared with the close of 8.793,3. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell 0,66%, while the mainland CSI 300 gained 0,15%.
Hang Seng futures were quoted at 24.978 points, below the latest close of 25.132,29, signaling caution among investors amid geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
On the economic front, Japan's foreign trade data surprised. Exports in June grew 19,3% year-over-year, the fastest pace since November 2022, driven by semiconductor equipment and the weakened yen.
The result exceeded the 18,6% forecast by economists surveyed by Reuters and came in above May's 16,8%. Shipments to Asia jumped 22,7%, highlighted by a 46,4% rise in sales to Taiwan.
Exports to China, Japan's largest trading partner, advanced 17,6%, while shipments to the United States rose 13% in the period.
The Japanese currency, however, remained under pressure. The yen fell to a four-decade low, at 163,15 per dollar, prompting Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama to say that the country is ready for "decisive action" in the foreign exchange market, if necessary.
According to UBS's Dominic Schnider, "the risks of intervention are basically a reality every day". He assessed that a 0,25 percentage point increase "will not change the overall picture".
According to the expert, the Bank of Japan needs to signal that "savers will have better real rates," a move that, in his view, would help the yen "stabilize easily".