ASIA NIGHT SESSION | Nikkei Futures Slide as Oil Tops $100; Hang Seng Futures Drop Below 25,000

According to RTHK, HKET and JPX official data, Asian index futures traded lower overnight as Brent crude pushed above $100 a barrel for the first time in about six weeks on escalating Middle East tensions, reviving inflation worries that lifted the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield toward a near three-year high and left the Dow down 405 points; the dollar hovered near a seven-month low against the yen while gold firmed, with investors awaiting key U.S. inflation data. Nikkei 225 index futures fell in the Osaka Exchange night session, with the September 2026 contract closing at 64,360, down 900, after trading between 65,340 and 64,150 on volume of 5,574 lots. The December 2026 contract ended at 64,190, down 910. Hong Kong stocks weakened in the night session, with Hang Seng Index futures closing 225 points lower at 24,982 as rising oil prices and bond yields pressured sentiment, dropping the contract back below the 25,000 mark; the China enterprises futures index fell 2.1% to 5,826. In U.S. ADR trading, Alibaba's American shares were 2.33% below their Hong Kong close at HK$107.24, while the Meituan ADR was down 1.62% at HK$76.54, the Tencent ADR eased 1.18% to HK$428.88 and the HSBC ADR slipped 0.69% to HK$164.86. Taiwan's TAIEX futures also retreated in the after-hours session, with the near-month September 2026 contract closing at 46,984, down 194 points or 0.41%, after ranging between 47,295 and 46,747 on volume of 49,651 lots.