Analyst recaps Asian stock markets' Friday performance

Both Hong Kong and Tokyo stocks closed higher Friday as geopolitical concerns eased and investors weighed the Bank of Japan's latest policy decision, according to China Global Television Network (CGTN) market analyst Timothy Pope.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 0.45 percent to 26,749.51 points. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index added 0.51 percent to 9,160.81, while the Hang Seng Tech Index advanced 0.62 percent to 5,798.01.

Japan's Nikkei 225 edged up 0.29 percent, finishing at 53,846.87 points.

"Down in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was up about 0.45 percent. It joined in a general global relief rally over the last couple of days. Donald Trump has backed away from more tariffs on Europe and probably more importantly, says he's not going to annex Greenland, not this week anyway. So that's all very nice and perhaps we can all have a quiet weekend. But it does seem that Trump has sparked a bit of a change in investor behavior, which is a fairly hard thing to do. Previously, given the choice between listening to Trump talk about, I don't know, the Panama Canal, or making Canada a state, or looking at the Fed minutes for clues on interest rates, investors and money managers were going to reach for the Fed minutes every time. No question. But now geopolitics is really starting to sort of ride in the front seat according to comments from a considerable number of money managers that I've seen, and it's looking like a much bigger factor for them. It might not be number one all the time, but it is back up there, and something they're really going to be considering. Anyway, looking at the Hong Kong markets and how they were moving today, Alibaba was one of the clear winners. It hit a three month high at one point today. Bloomberg reported yesterday that it's considering listing T-Head, it's chip making unit. We don't have any details on a timeline or a potential valuation or anything much really, even a location, although I think it's probably likely to be Hong Kong. Either way, Alibaba ended the day up2.3 percent," said Pope.

"Over in Japan the markets rose as well.We saw the BOJ keep interest rates steady. The Nikkei 225 was up about a third of one percent. The Bank of Japan's rates decision was an expected one, although it did raise the outlook for inflation and economic growth, which is as good as warning the markets to prepare for a rate hike but rates remaining looser for now, is good news for stocks. Even though the Yen didn't sink too much in the aftermath of the rates announcement, it has been in trouble recently. It has been on a bit of a gentle slide, which as you said earlier did have a factor in Japan's calling of a Snap election. Nintendo was the Nikkei's top gainer today. I'd like to believe this is because Silicon Valley has started using the Pokemon games of the late 1990s, my childhood, to assess how good AI is at long term complex goals. I'm sure the AI is playing it a bit better than I did though," he said.

Analyst recaps Asian stock markets' Friday performance

Serbia's Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic hailed the surge in exports to China following the launch of a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) in recent years, calling the pact a strategic relationship of mutual vision and voicing optimism for deeper bilateral cooperation.

The FTA between China and Serbia, signed in October 2023 and implemented on July 1, 2024, eliminates tariffs on roughly 90 percent of bilateral trade. More than 60 percent of goods became duty-free immediately upon its entry into force, marking a decisive step in deepening economic ties.

He said the agreement has reshaped Serbia’s trade profile, fueling a 69-percent jump in agricultural exports while accelerating imports of Chinese technologies and farm mechanization.

"The relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Serbia, I would describe as a long-term, strategic relationship of mutual political and clear economic vision.The Free Trade Agreement between our countries was signed in 2023. It was introduced in 2024. As a result, our trade exchange has greatly improved, especially in the field of agriculture. We can say from that moment our exports to China grew for 69 percent. We have also made easier the import of certain things, such as mechanization and digital technologies, from the People's Republic of China to Serbia," said Glamocic.

"Our traditional products, such as wine, our domestic brandy, our honey, dried plums, frozen raspberries, similarly, imports of modern technologies from China are increasing, mechanization also, which really improves our agriculture business in Serbia. So I am an optimist that it will get better and better every day," he added.

The minister spoke highly of Serbia's partnership with China and voiced hope for broader cooperation in the future.

"What I would expect from China is that we sometimes try to speed up these procedures as much as possible. It is especially an honor for us when such a small country has such a status in the People's Republic of China. We were the first country to sign this type of strategic document in Europe, and we have reached the highest possible level among the two countries," he said.

Serbian agriculture minister reports record export growth to China