U.S. President Trump's Address Impacts Global Markets

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent address did not indicate any concessions on tariff measures, leading to a decline in the U.S. dollar. According to Ming Pao, this development caused a rise in commodity currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars, while the Japanese yen weakened due to comments from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting potential interest rate hikes. This currency movement further boosted technology stocks in Japan and South Korea, with Nvidia's upcoming earnings report contributing to record highs. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rebounded by 175 points ahead of futures settlement, although major technology stocks underperformed. The Hang Seng Tech Index even closed lower. The overall market was supported by strong performances in the financial sector, particularly HSBC, which alone contributed 140 points to the Hang Seng Index's rise.