Asia markets mixed as Hitachi soars on OpenAI deal

October 03, 2025 (MLN): Asian markets were mixed on Friday, with Japanese stocks leading gains after Hitachi shares surged more than 9% on news of a global artificial intelligence partnership with OpenAI.

The Nikkei 225 climbed 1.57%, while the broader Topix added 1.33%.

Economic data in Japan offered a mixed picture: the unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 2.6% in August, up from 2.3% in July and higher than economists’ expectations of 2.4%, according to CNBC.

Meanwhile, the S&P Global Japan services purchasing managers’ index edged up to 53.3 in September from 53.1 a month earlier, buoyed by strong domestic demand even as export orders weakened.

“While services companies recorded another month of solid growth, manufacturers reported a steeper decline in output amid weak sales.

As a result, the private sector as a whole expanded at the slowest rate since May,” said Annabel Fiddes, economics associate director at S&P Global Market Intelligence to CNBC.

Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.27%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.47%, with the Hang Seng Tech Index sliding 1.21%. India’s Nifty 50 dipped 0.16% and the Sensex lost 0.36%. Markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed for holidays.

In the U.S., equity futures were little changed in early Asian trading after Wall Street’s major indexes closed at record highs despite a government shutdown.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.06%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added nearly 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.4%, lifted by a 0.9% rise in Nvidia to a record high. Other chipmakers also gained, with Intel and AMD each advancing more than 3%.

The shutdown has already delayed the release of September’s closely watched U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, limiting economic data available for the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting. Historically, however, market reactions to U.S. shutdowns have been muted.

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