Asia-Pacific markets set to trade flat as Trump's tariff threats on Apple and the EU dent investor sentiment
A customer places a Japanese 10,000 yen banknote on a checkout counter while making a purchase at an Akidai YK supermarket in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, June 27, 2022.
Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets are set to trade mixed Monday, trailing losses on all three key benchmarks on Wall Street last Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to impose tariffs on tech giant Apple as well as stiffer duties on the European Union.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open slightly higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 37,250 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 37,190, against the index's last close of 37,160.47
Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 23,479, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's Friday close of 23,601.26.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is slated to start the day inching higher, with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,387, compared to its last close of 8,360.90.
— CNBC's John Melloy and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.
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Yahoo
36 minutes ago
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How Europe could go ‘Mega' by 2027
Poland's new president is a Trump-inspired nationalist. The government in the Netherlands has just been felled by an anti-migrant firebrand. Right-wing parties are already in government in Hungary and Italy, and in Berlin, the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the main opposition after it was endorsed by JD Vance and Elon Musk in the February elections. As Europe begins a cycle of crucial elections over the next two and a half years, the radical insurgent Right has the momentum. By 2027, there could be eight nationalist prime ministers in the 27-member-strong European Union, which has already swung to the Right. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's White House is determined to 'Make Europe Great Again'. Allies in the right places could prove very useful to Mr Trump, who accuses the EU of trying to 'screw' the US on trade and through the regulation of American technology firms. If 2027 is the year Europe does indeed go 'Mega', there will be serious ramifications for EU policies on migration, Ukraine and net zero, as well as a push to assert national leadership over Brussels. Experts believe this week's win in Poland and ructions in the Netherlands will bolster the 'Mega' wing in Europe with proof of concept. 'I don't believe in domino effects, but I do believe in a demonstration effect,' said Pawel Zerka, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank. In other words, people in other countries are aware of and influenced by politics elsewhere. 'The biggest demonstration effect is coming not from other European countries, but from the US,' he said. 'The election of Donald Trump gives a legitimacy boost and a confidence boost to plenty of the far-Right parties across Europe and their electorates.' Many of the parties had 'ever tighter links to the Maga movement' and 'practical support' to get better results, he said. Geert Wilders led his Party for Freedom (PVV) to the hard-Right's first-ever general election win in November 2023. But the 'Dutch Trump' was forced to sacrifice his dream of being prime minister in coalition talks after his shock victory on a platform of 'zero asylum'. This time, he would become prime minister, he told reporters in The Hague, as he vowed to once again defeat the establishment conservative and Left-wing parties in October. The shock-headed populist may struggle to repeat the trick, or to find willing coalition partners, after toppling the government for not backing his hardline migration plans. Current polls have him with a narrow lead of one percentage point over the Left-wing GroenLinks-PvdA. But Mr Wilders was enjoying highs of 50 per cent before forming a coalition government that struggled to implement its strictest ever asylum policy. He is banking on those numbers recovering, and White House officials have already made clear he has Mr Trump's backing. With enough vote share, he could form a new conservative coalition with the pro-business VVD, provided it also posts strong results. Tellingly, its leader has not yet ruled out a second alliance with Mr Wilders. Mr Trump hosted Karol Nawrocki at the White House before the Law and Justice-backed former historian won a knife-edge victory on June 1. The role of president is largely ceremonial in Poland, but it comes armed with the power of veto over new legislation. Law and Justice (PiS) won the popular vote (35.4 per cent), but fell short of a majority at the last general election in Poland. Donald Tusk, who won 30.7 per cent of the vote, cobbled together a large and unwieldy centrist coalition to take power. Since then, prime minister Tusk has sought to steer Poland back to the European mainstream. His reforms, including the liberalisation of some of Europe's strictest abortion laws, are set to be frustrated by Mr Nawrocki's vetoes. Mr Tusk has called for a vote of confidence on June 11 to shore up his restive coalition, which is trailing PiS in the polls. Even if that passes, it looks very unlikely his government will survive to the end of its term in 2027, and while it is unclear who the PiS's candidate could be in the next general election, a hard-Right prime minister is not unlikely. Businessman turned politician Andrej Babis is leading in the surveys – consistently polling about 30 per cent – ahead of October's general election in the Czech Republic. The last election saw him lose to a Conservative-Liberal coalition by just a handful of votes. Babis's party, ANO, obtained 27.13 per cent of the vote, while Spolu, which leads the coalition of the current government, won 27.79 per cent of the vote. If he scrapes together a few more votes, the populist will become prime minister for the second time. During his first spell in office, he donned a Trump-style red baseball cap. 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She shares a European political party with Poland's Law and Justice, which is hawkish on Russia and will be contesting the general election in 2027 if Mr Tusk's vote of confidence passes next week. Spain's conservatives won the popular vote – 33.1 per cent – in the last general election, but fell short of a majority. Their potential coalition allies, Vox, the far-Right and Trump allied nationalists, underperformed, obtaining just 12.4 per cent of the vote. That opened the door for socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez to assemble an extremely broad coalition of the centre-Left, communists and Catalan and Basque separatists. Polarised Spain's culture wars have only got worse in the years since the 2023 election and the start of the divisive Mr Sanchez's second term. The pardoning of Catalan separatists and political discussions with former terrorists, as well as corruption allegations about his wife and allies, could cost him in 2027. Emmanuel Macron called snap parliamentary elections, effectively daring the French to hand over power to the hard-Right, after Marine Le Pen's National Rally defeated him in the European Parliament elections last summer. National Rally did not get a majority, after a group of different parties united to keep out the hard-Right. But Mr Macron's party lost its majority in the National Assembly and has been a lame duck domestically ever since. Head of the largest single party in France, Ms Le Pen is well positioned for presidential elections in 2027, in which Mr Macron cannot stand. But Ms Le Pen was banned from running for the presidency in March after being found guilty of embezzlement. It drew immediate comparisons to the 'lawfare' waged on Mr Trump, who offered his support. She is appealing, but her protege Jordan Bardella will run in her stead if necessary. 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36 minutes ago
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🔥 Up to 43% off dad-approved HexClad cookware, grill tools, pizza essentials
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44 minutes ago
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Are these the best American stocks for my ISA?
At the moment, US-listed stocks account for also exactly half of my ISA holdings. To be precise, around 42% of my Stocks and Shares ISA is in cash — I'm a little wary at the moment — and 29% in both international (all North American) and UK-listed stocks. So, why am I a little wary? Well, I'm being more selective about US stocks because the sharp rise in tariffs this year has fundamentally changed the investment landscape. Between January and April 2025, the average effective US tariff rate soared from 2.5% to 27%. These are levels not seen in over a century. It had settled slightly at 17.8% in May, but negotiations are ongoing. Such high tariffs are likely to be raising input costs, squeezing corporate profit margins, and dampening earnings growth. I'm focusing on the metrics because, in today's environment, growth alone isn't enough—valuations must be justifiable. With the S&P 500's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio at 21.3 — above both 5- and 10-year averages — it's crucial to find companies where earnings multiples make sense relative to their growth prospects. As always I'm prioritising growth-adjusted ratios like the P/E-to-growth (PEG) ratio, which help identify stocks offering genuine value for their expected growth, but being even more selective than usual. So, who are they? Well, Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) stands out as fundamentally cheap by most metrics, while Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) trades at lower multiples than its peers despite similar growth trajectories. In my view, this makes both attractive, non-speculative picks in a market where speculation is increasingly risky. Pinterest currently trades at a forward P/E of 17.7 times and a PEG ratio of 0.53, reflecting strong expected earnings growth at a reasonable valuation. The company's AI-powered ad tools and a growing international user base have driven double-digit revenue growth, with Q1 2025 revenue up 16% year on year and global monthly active users reaching 570m. Despite these strengths, Pinterest remains heavily dependent on digital advertising, making it sensitive to shifts in advertiser budgets and broader economic cycles. It's also very geographically reliant on North America for revenues, and this represents a risk as well as an opportunity. The region represents less than one-fifth of total users but nearly 80% of sales. However, there's plenty to be positive about. Al really seems to be a game changer, and has contributed to the company's improving profitability and attractive growth profile. Alphabet trades at a forward P/E of 17.3 times. That's above the communications sector median of 13.6 but about 30% below its own five-year average, signalling a more attractive entry point relative to its history. The PEG ratio stands at 1.16, lower than the sector's 1.43, indicating solid expected earnings growth for its valuation. I'd also add that Alphabet is more than just a communications stock, which makes its valuation so attractive. Recent performance has been strong. In Q1 2025, Alphabet reported 12% revenue growth to $90.2bn, with Google Cloud up 28% and operating margin expanding to 34%. Risks? There are always risks even with some of the largest companies in the world. One here is Alphabet potentially being forced to divest Chrome in an anti-trust trial. However, for me, its wide economic moat and diversified growth engines underpin long-term appeal. I've recently bought both these stocks. The post Are these the best American stocks for my ISA? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. James Fox has positions in Alphabet and Pinterest. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Alphabet and Pinterest. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
