Asian equities rose as Wall Street had its best day in months, and China published positive statistics

Shares rose in Asia on Monday after U.S. equities had their best day since the November election, and China announced stronger-than-expected manufacturing statistics. Chinese officials were scheduled to brief reporters on Beijing’s attempts to increase consumer spending later in the day. Economists argue that consumers must spend more to get the economy out of its slump, but most have urged for larger, more fundamental reforms to boost confidence and spending power.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.3% to 24,276.64, while the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6% to 3,429.30. The government said Monday that China’s industrial output increased by over 6% in the first two months of the year compared to the previous year, while retail sales increased by 4%. However, officials indicated that the property market remained poor, with housing prices decreasing and real estate investment down roughly 10% from the previous year.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index rose 1.3% to 37,539.36, while the Kospi in Seoul rose 1.7% to 2,608.68. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6% to 7,838.20, while Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.9%. Bangkok’s SET defied the trend, dropping 0.7%. Wall Street’s roller-coaster resumed its upward trend on Friday, but not enough to prevent the US market from losing for the fourth week, the longest stretch since August.

The S&P 500 rose 2.1% a day after ending more than 10% lower than its all-time low in its first “correction” since 2023. It ended at 5,638.94. Since establishing a record less than a month ago, the stock market in the United States has fallen precipitously. The previous time the index rose by that much was the day following President Donald Trump’s victory when Wall Street was focused on the benefits of Trump’s return to the White House.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.7%, reaching 41,488.19. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2.6% to 17,754.09. Ulta Beauty rose 13.7% after the beauty goods store announced a higher profit for the most recent quarter than experts predicted. Gains for Big Tech equities and firms in the artificial intelligence area also aided the market. The latest sell-off hit Such equities the hardest, with critics claiming that their values skyrocketed during the AI craze. Nvidia climbed 5.3%, bringing its loss for 2025 to less than 10%. Apple gained 1.8% to reduce its weekly loss, which was on track to be its worst since the 2020 COVID crash. It helped that the Senate took steps to avert a partial closure of the United States government.

However, Trump’s intensifying trade war continues to cause the most worry. The question is how much pain Trump will cause the economy with tariffs and other policies to restructure the country and the world as he sees fit. The president has stated that he wants manufacturing jobs restored in the United States, a reduced federal government workforce, and other fundamental changes.

Worries appear to worsen among US families, according to a preliminary study issued Friday by the University of Michigan. Its consumer sentiment index fell for the third month in a row, owing primarily to fears about the future rather than current complaints. Currently, the employment market and the general economy are stable. In other trade early Monday, US benchmark crude oil rose 48 cents to $67.66 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the worldwide benchmark, rose 49 cents to $71.07 a barrel. The US dollar increased to 148.93 Japanese yen from 148.81. The euro fell to $1.0880 from $1.0882.