ASIA NIGHT SESSION | Nikkei and Hong Kong Night Futures Firm Before Fed Decision; KOSPI and TAIEX Futures Slip

According to Nikkei minkabu data provider JPX, Yonhap and Hong Kong Economic Times, Asian index futures traded in a mixed overnight session as investors braced for the Federal Reserve's rate decision on Wednesday, which markets price at about a 94.5% chance of a 0.25-point increase. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields pushed above 5% to a 19-year high, oil rose sharply, and Wall Street's main indexes eased while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index added 0.40%. Osaka-traded Nikkei 225 futures held firm in the night session. The near-month December 2026 contract settled at 63,490 at the 06:00 close, up 170 points, after trading between a low of 62,930 and a high of 63,850 on volume of 8,312 lots. The more active December Nikkei 225 mini contract ended at 63,495, up 175 points. Seoul's index futures pointed slightly lower, with the KOSPI 200 night futures down 0.17%. In the prior cash session the KOSPI had closed at 6,627.26, down 57.11 points or 0.85% for a fourth straight decline, while the KOSDAQ rose 5.62 points or 0.70% to 812.41. Daishin Securities analyst Lee Kyung-min said the market is more sensitive to negatives than positives amid worries over a September rate increase, but noted current bond yields look near a peak and equities near a trough, keeping the 6,600 support level plausible. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index night futures closed up 86 points at 24,762, while the China Enterprises tech gauge night futures fell 1.1% to 5,765. In overnight ADR trading, Meituan's ADR was up 0.22% at an equivalent HK$74.92, Tencent's ADR slipped 0.26% to HK$437.65, Alibaba's U.S. shares were little changed at HK$107.22, and HSBC's ADR rose 0.49% to HK$160.38. The Hong Kong dollar drifted toward the weak side of its trading band at 7.8449. Taiwan's TAIEX futures eased in the after-hours session. The near-month September 2026 contract closed at 45,529, down 63 points or 0.14%, trading between 45,330 and 45,736 on volume of 22,905 lots.