Japanese stocks led the gains in Asian markets.

Asian stock markets rose in afternoon trading on December 19, following the upward trend on Wall Street.

Stock market index board in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Kyodo/VNA

The highlight of this session was the Tokyo market, where key indices rose across the board after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised interest rates to their highest level in three decades and signaled it may continue to tighten monetary policy.

At the close of trading, the Nikkei 225 index rose 1.03% to 49,507.21 points, while the Topix index gained 0.8% to 3,383.66 points. The Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates to 0.75% had been anticipated by the market. Immediately after the official announcement, investors sold off the yen, awaiting further policy guidance from the press conference by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda.

According to Abhijit Surya, senior economist for Asia- Pacific at Capital Economics, although nominal interest rates have been adjusted upwards, real interest rates in Japan remain deeply negative, suggesting that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is unlikely to have finished its tightening cycle. Capital Economics forecasts that Japanese interest rates could reach 1.75% by 2027, amid expectations of continued positive economic data in the near future.

Regionally, the MSCI Asia- Pacific index (excluding Japan) rose 0.7%. In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.77% to 25,693.34 points, while the Shanghai Composite index on the Shanghai Stock Exchange rose 0.36% to 3,890.45 points.

Other markets also rallied, with South Korea's Kospi rising 0.65% to 4,020.55 points, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.39% to 8,621.4 points.

Market sentiment improved after data showed US consumer inflation fell to 2.7%, lower than expected. However, analysts noted that this data could be affected by the temporary US government shutdown, so investors remained cautious.

Wall Street had also closed in positive territory earlier, but the market had slightly adjusted its expectations regarding the Federal Reserve's policy. Accordingly, the probability of the Fed cutting interest rates in January 2026 is now only 27%, while the likelihood of a cut in March 2026 has increased to 58%, compared to 54% before the inflation data was released.

In Vietnam, at the close of trading on December 19, the VN-Index rose 26.68 points (equivalent to 1.59%) to 1,703.66 points, while the HNX-Index increased 0.74 points (0.29%) to 253.97 points.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thi-truong-tien-te/chung-khoan-nhat-ban-dan-dat-da-tang-cua-thi-truong-chau-a-20251219155611866.htm