Asian markets today: Regional markets trade positively; Japan’s Nikkei lags

Asian stocks in Wednesday’s trade (May 21, 2025) traded in a tight range, with Japanese stocks retreating lower after weak trade data. At the last count, the key MSCI Asia ex Japan index traded higher by 0.77 per cent.

Asian regional stocks performance

Japan’s Nikkei- Down 0.1 per cent

South Korea’s Kospi- up 0.99 per cent

Hang Seng- 0.7 per cent up

Taiwan weighted-Up 1.12 per cent

Australia’s S&P/ ASX 200- up 0.7 per cent

US stock market futures

All the key index futures traded in the red, with the Nasdaq futures down 0.55 per cent.