Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess Trump's 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday, as investors assessed the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's 30% tariffs on the European Union and Mexico that were imposed over the weekend.

The president revealed on his social media site, Truth Social, on Saturday that the tariffs on both countries would start on Aug. 1.

Leaders of the EU and Mexico indicated that they intend to keep negotiating with the Trump administration this month in an attempt to agree on a lower rate.

Here's a snapshot of how markets are faring:

Chinese and Hong Kong stocks rise in early trade

Chinese and Hong Kong-listed stocks started the day marginally higher Monday amid choppy trade in other key Asia-Pacific markets.

As of 9.40 a.m. local time, the Hang Seng Index added 0.14%, while mainland'sCSI 300 moved up 0.16%.

Japan's core machinery orders fall 0.6% in May from the previous month

Japan's core machinery orders fell 0.6% in May from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released by the country's Cabinet Office on Monday.

While that came in slightly better than the 1.5% contraction estimated by economists in a Reuters poll, it followed April's decline of 9.1%.

Core machinery orders by the domestic private sector, which exclude volatile items like ships and electric power, are regarded as a key gauge of capital expenditure and reflect business confidence in buying more machinery and equipment.

On a year-on-year basis, core orders grew 4.4%, beating the 3.4% rise forecasted, LSEG data showed.

Meanwhile, the total value of machinery orders received by 280 manufacturers operating in Japan increased by 3.8% in May from the month before on a seasonally adjusted basis, government data showed.

Singapores economy grows 4.3% in second quarter, beating expectations

Singapore's economy grew at 4.3% year over year in the second quarter of the year, accelerating from 3.9% in the first quarter and beating expectations.

The advance figure was higher than the 3.5% forecasted by Reuters.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Singapore's GDP grew by 1.4%, a turnaround from the 0.5% contraction last quarter.

Read the full story, here.

Asia-Pacific markets open mixed

Asia-Pacific markets started the day mixed Monday.

As of 8.10 a.m. Singapore time, Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark lost 0.33% while the broader Topix index ticked down 0.21%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index was up 0.22% while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 0.19%.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark was down 0.1%.

Here are the opening calls for the day

Good morning from Singapore.

Investors will be keeping a close watch on a slew of data points today, including India's inflation reading for June and Singapore's second quarter growth rate.

Economists polled by Reuters expect India's consumer price inflation reading to come in at 2.5% year on year, from 2.82% the month before.

Meanwhile, Singapore's economy is forecast to grow by 3.5% year on year in the second quarter, compared to 3.9% in the previous quarter.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 39,345 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,500, against the index's Friday close of 39,569.68.

Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 24,088, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's last close of 24,139.57.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was also set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,548, compared with its last close of 8,580.10.

U.S. futures slip after Trump announces 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico

U.S. equity futures fell in early Asia hours after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 30% tariffs on the European Union and Mexico.

S&P 500 futures lost 0.33%, while Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.22%. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 280 points, or 0.63%.

Major averages all close week lower

The major stock averages all fell on Friday, closing lower for the week.

On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 279.13 points, or 0.63%, and ended at 44,371.51. The S&P 500 shed 0.33%, finishing at 6,259.75, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.22% to settle at 20,585.53.