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View of the Skytree from Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo
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Japanese financial markets exhibited little movement as many Asian markets remained closed for Good Friday festivities.
The Nikkei 225 index of Japan saw a marginal increase of 0.01% during the morning trading session, influenced by recent inflation figures. In March, inflation in Japan rose by 3.6% compared to the previous year, which maintains a trend of exceeding the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for a third consecutive year. This growth, however, is a slight decrease from February’s rate of 3.7%.
Additionally, the so-called “core-core” inflation rate, which excludes the prices for fresh food and energy — two categories closely monitored by the Bank of Japan — increased from 2.6% to 2.9% over the same period.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Kospi index experienced a modest rise of 0.1%.
Markets in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore remained shut for the holiday.
In the United States, major stock indices ended the trading day with mixed results. The S&P 500 managed to gain some ground during a day of fluctuating trading on Thursday yet closed the shortened trading week on a downward note as ongoing concerns about tariffs continued to unsettle investors.
The S&P 500 rose by 0.13%, finishing at 5,282.70 after a day characterized by significant ups and downs. Conversely, the Nasdaq Composite saw a downturn, decreasing by 0.13% to close at 16,286.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a more pronounced decline, dropping 527.16 points, or 1.33%, to end at 39,142.23.
Investor sentiment has been cautious since former President Trump initially introduced his plan for “reciprocal” tariffs, a proposal he later retracted on April 2.
CNBC’s Alex Harring and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
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