Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures stall as focus tightens on Trump’s trade deal progress

Markets across the Asia-Pacific region saw mixed trading early morning on Wednesday, with investors eyeing the potential of US interest rate cuts and the fast-approaching July 9 tariff deadline for deals to be struck between the US and major trading partners worldwide.

Singapore’s benchmark, the Straits Times Index (^STI), gained 0.5% to hit a record high of 4009.15 points as of 00:20 (UTC-4). The move saw the index crossing past the 4000 threshold for the second time on record.

Australia and Hong Kong led gains as Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 (^AXJO) rose 0.4% and the Hang Seng Index (^HSI) popped 0.7%.

Japan saw loss in the country’s major gauge as the benchmark Nikkei 225 (^N225) slipped 0.7%.

Korea’s Kospi (^KS11) cratered 1.2% as Trump ratcheted up pressure on the country to finalize a trade deal.

Mainland China’s CSI 300 (000300.SS) hovered near the baseline.