Asian Stock Markets Today: Nikkei, Hang Seng, KOSPI and More

Asian stock markets today are tracked on this page through daily briefs on Japan's Nikkei 225 and TOPIX, China's CSI 300 and the Shanghai Composite, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, India's Nifty 50 and Sensex and Indonesia's IHSG, plus a weekly KOSPI brief.

Each brief explains what moved the market and why, with timestamped data and named sources. Wall Street, Europe, gold, oil and currencies are covered too, because they set the tone for the next Asian session.

Asian markets today: what each brief covers and when it is published

Every brief follows the same order: key takeaways, a session recap with a data table, what drove the move, policy watch, what to watch next and sources. Briefs appear on weekdays after the local close, so the numbers are closing figures.

• Asia briefs (Japan, China and Hong Kong, Indonesia, India): published from about 09:30 UTC (Japan, China and Hong Kong, Indonesia) and about 10:20 UTC for India, after the Indian close. The South Korea brief is a weekly round-up published on Fridays.
• Europe brief: published from about 16:45 UTC, after the London, Frankfurt and Paris closes.
• US stocks and gold briefs: published from about 21:30 UTC, after the New York close. Oil and forex briefs are weekly round-ups published on Fridays.

Each brief shows when its figures were recorded.

Markets we cover

UTC times are for winter time (Europe from 25 October 2026, the US from 1 November 2026, until March 2027). In summer, European and US sessions start one hour earlier in UTC. Between 25 October and 1 November 2026, US regular hours are 13:30–20:00 UTC. The Asian markets listed here do not use daylight saving time.

Japan: Nikkei 225 and TOPIX

The Nikkei 225 is a price-weighted average of 225 stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, according to its publisher, Nikkei Inc. Because it is price-weighted, a handful of high-priced shares, many of them technology and chip-equipment makers, can move the index more than their size suggests. TOPIX, run by JPX, is a broad index weighted by market value, so it often gives a calmer picture of the whole market.

Three things move Tokyo most days: the overnight session in US technology and chip stocks, the yen (a weaker yen tends to lift exporters' earnings in yen terms) and Bank of Japan policy, including government bond yields. Recent coverage: [Nikkei falls 2% as the AI selloff deepens](/nikkei-falls-2-percent-ai-selloff-deepens/) and [Japan's September core inflation](/japan-core-inflation-september-2026/).

China and Hong Kong: CSI 300, Shanghai Composite, Hang Seng

The CSI 300 tracks 300 of the largest and most liquid A-shares listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, according to China Securities Index Co. The Shanghai Composite covers stocks listed in Shanghai. The Hang Seng Index is Hong Kong's benchmark and includes many mainland Chinese companies listed in the city.

Mainland and Hong Kong shares react to People's Bank of China policy, government stimulus announcements, the property sector, US-China trade relations and money moving between the two markets through Stock Connect. Recent coverage: [the CSI 300 enters a bear market](/csi-300-enters-bear-market-what-drove-it/), [the Shanghai Composite falls below its 52-week low](/shanghai-composite-falls-below-52-week-low/) and [the Hang Seng slides 2% in early trade](/hang-seng-slides-2-percent-early-trade/).

South Korea, India and Indonesia

South Korea. The KOSPI is heavily weighted towards memory-chip makers such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, so it often follows the global chip cycle and US semiconductor stocks. Foreign investor flows, the won and Bank of Korea decisions also matter. See [KOSPI drops 3% as chip stocks follow the US selloff](/kospi-drops-3-percent-chip-stocks-us-selloff/).

India. The Nifty 50 tracks 50 large companies on the National Stock Exchange; the Sensex tracks 30 on BSE. Flows from foreign portfolio investors, Reserve Bank of India policy, company earnings and crude oil prices (India imports most of its oil) are the usual drivers.

Indonesia. The IHSG, or Jakarta Composite Index, covers shares listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Foreign buying and selling, the rupiah, Bank Indonesia policy, commodity prices and index-provider decisions such as MSCI reviews move it. See [IHSG foreign selling and the MSCI trend](/ihsg-foreign-selling-msci-trend/).

Wall Street and Europe: what Asia wakes up to

Tokyo and Seoul open at 00:00 UTC, about three hours after New York closes in winter, so the US session usually sets the tone for Asia's morning. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite and the Dow react to Federal Reserve policy, Treasury yields, economic data and big technology earnings. See [why the Nasdaq fell on AI spending worries](/nasdaq-falls-ai-spending-worries-meta-chips/) and [chip stocks slump as AI costs rise](/chip-stocks-slump-semiconductor-index-ai-costs/).

In Europe, the STOXX 600 covers 600 large, mid and small companies across 17 countries, according to STOXX. European markets respond to the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and company results, and their afternoon overlaps the US morning.

Gold, oil and currencies

Gold is priced in US dollars, so a weaker dollar and lower real interest rates tend to support it, while central bank buying and geopolitical risk add demand. Oil is quoted through two benchmarks, Brent and WTI. OPEC+ output decisions, conflicts in producing regions and the US Energy Information Administration's weekly inventory report, normally released on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, are the regular movers. Read more in [how oil price shocks hit inflation and rates](/how-oil-price-shocks-hit-inflation-and-rates/).

In currencies, USD/JPY matters most for Asian equities. Gaps between US and Japanese interest rates drive it, and so does the chance of official intervention.

This week's calendar: central banks, inflation and earnings

Each brief's "What to watch next" section lists the week's central bank meetings, inflation releases, earnings and other scheduled data for that market, with dates and UTC times where known.

Market terms explained

• [Market correction vs bear market](/market-correction-vs-bear-market/): the 10% and 20% thresholds and what they mean.
• [Treasury yields explained](/treasury-yields-explained-10-year/): why the 10-year yield moves stocks around the world.
• [Credit default swaps explained](/credit-default-swaps-explained/): how markets price the risk of default.

How Bullquill writes these briefs

Each brief uses closing data from exchanges, index providers, central banks and established news agencies, with every figure timestamped in UTC and its source named. When the cause of a move has not been confirmed, the brief says so. The briefs report what happened and why; they do not recommend buying or selling and give no price targets.

FAQ

What time do Asian stock markets open in UTC? Tokyo and Seoul open at 00:00 UTC, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong at 01:30 UTC, Jakarta at 02:00 UTC and India at 03:45 UTC. None of these markets changes its clocks for daylight saving time.

Why is the Nikkei down today? The most common causes are a fall in US technology and chip stocks the night before, a stronger yen, which hurts exporters, and expectations of tighter Bank of Japan policy. The latest [Japan brief](/japan-stocks-daily-brief-2026-10-23/) names the specific causes for each session.

What is the difference between the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX? The Nikkei 225 is a price-weighted average of 225 stocks, so a few expensive shares can dominate it. TOPIX is weighted by market value and covers far more companies.

What time does the Hang Seng close? Continuous trading in Hong Kong ends at 16:00 HKT (08:00 UTC). A closing auction follows and ends at a random time between 16:08 and 16:10 HKT, which sets the official close.

Sources

• Japan Exchange Group: Trading hours (cash equities)
• Japan Exchange Group: Cash market trading hours extension, 5 November 2024
• Nikkei Inc.: Nikkei Stock Average index guidebook
• HKEX: Securities market trading hours
• Shanghai Stock Exchange: Trading schedule
• China Securities Index Co.: CSI 300 factsheet
• Korea Exchange: Guide to trading in the Korean stock market
• NSE India: Market timings
• Indonesia Stock Exchange: Trading hours and mechanism
• London Stock Exchange: Personal investing FAQs (trading hours)
• Euronext: Trading hours and holidays
• NYSE: Holidays and trading hours
• STOXX: STOXX Europe 600 index
• US Energy Information Administration: Weekly Petroleum Status Report schedule

The live market panels below come from TradingView, embedded for context. Prices may be delayed according to each exchange, and some indexes are shown through CFD or ETF proxies; the label on each chart says which.

This page is for information only and is not investment advice.