Asian stock markets soared on the afternoon of October 15.

Asian stock markets surged on October 15, as comments from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell suggesting the Fed could cut interest rates again this month eased trade war concerns.

Stock index board in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2025. Photo: Kyodo/TTXVN

At the close, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 825.35 points, or 1.76%, to 47,672.67 points. In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1.8% to 25,910.6 points, while Shanghai's Shanghai Composite index rose 1.2% to 3,912.21 points. South Korea's Kospi index rose 95.47 points, or 2.68%, to 3,657.28 points, marking the first time it has surpassed the 3,600-point mark.

After several days of volatility due to rising tensions in Sino-US trade relations, investors seized the opportunity to return to the market and resume a months-long rally led by the technology sector.

For much of the year, Mr. Powell has struggled to balance keeping inflation in check and supporting the labor market, even as he faced criticism from President Donald Trump for not cutting rates soon enough. And while price growth continues to exceed the Fed’s target, a series of weak indicators forced him to shift his focus to jobs, and last month he announced the first rate cut since December 2024.

In remarks on October 14, Mr. Powell acknowledged that the risk of job losses appears to have increased as the labor market has become less dynamic and somewhat weaker, adding that long-term inflation expectations remain consistent with the Fed’s 2% target. Monetary policymakers may also soon stop reducing their large holdings of bonds and other instruments during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep borrowing costs low and support the economy .

The Fed has a dual mandate of keeping inflation low and boosting employment. However, no official jobs data has been released for September 2025 due to the US government shutdown, but private sector figures show a significant slowdown in hiring last month.

Powell’s comments helped ease investors’ concerns about the latest trade tensions between the US and China, with the US president last week threatening to impose additional tariffs of 100% on Chinese goods, after China imposed new export controls on rare earths.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said senior officials spoke on October 13 about the rare earth dispute and expressed optimism that the two countries would resolve the issue.

In the domestic market, at the end of the session on October 15, the VN-Index decreased by 3.11 points, or 0.18%, to 1,757.95 points. The HNX-Index increased by 0.79 points, or 0.29%, to 276.12 points.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thi-truong-tien-te/cac-thi-truong-chung-khoan-chau-a-tang-vot-trong-chieu-1510-20251015163204718.htm