America News Agency

The Fed is expected to cut rates by another 25 basis points at its final meeting of the year, bringing the federal funds rate to the 3.5–3.75 percent range. However, experts note that the Fed will adopt a more data-dependent stance going forward.

According to market analysts, weakness in the labor market will prevent the Fed from taking a hawkish tone, so it would not be surprising if Fed Chair Jerome Powell says, “We have cut rates and now we are at a point where we really need to watch the data.”

The Nikkei 225 rose 0.16 percent in a volatile session, while the broader Topix traded flat. Gains in technology stocks limited the Nikkei’s losses; Disco Corp and Konica Minolta climbed 5.42 percent and 4.91 percent respectively.

South Korea’s Kospi Index fell 0.31 percent, but the small-cap Kosdaq Index rose 0.2 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slipped 0.32 percent after the country’s central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 3.6 percent, as expected.

Following its rate decision, the Reserve Bank of Australia stated, “Recent data show that inflation risks are tilted to the upside, but more time will be needed to assess the persistence of inflationary pressures.” Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.84 percent, while China’s CSI 300 Index declined 0.14 percent.

U.S. stock futures rose slightly on Monday evening after President Donald Trump approved the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chips to China under an agreement that would provide a significant return to the U.S. government.

In after-hours trading, Nvidia gained 2.2 percent following a Truth Social post stating that the chipmaker could send H200 chips to “approved customers” in China and other countries, provided that one-quarter of the revenue is paid to the U.S. government.

In the U.S., the S&P 500 fell 0.35 percent, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.14 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 215.67 points, or 0.45 percent.