November 19, 2025, Shanghai, China: A boat sails on the Huangpu River passing through downtown Shanghai. The tallest building on the skyline is the Shanghai Tower (back).
Bernd von Utrzenka | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Asian defense stocks rose for a second straight day on Tuesday despite mixed trading in the region as investors assessed geopolitical risks following the US attack on Venezuela and the detention of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.
Japanese defense companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries IHI increased by 3.66%, but it rose by about 6%. Shares of South Korea’s Korea Aerospace soared as much as 11%, and have since risen by more than 9%, while shares of Poongsan rose more than 8%. Hanwha Aerospace rose 0.99%.
Japanese benchmark Nikkei Stock Average The index rose 1.32% to close at 52,518.08, while TOPIX rose 1.75% to close at a record high of 3,538.44. Korean Kospi rose 1.52% to 4,525.48, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.16% to 955.97.
australian ASX/S&P200 It fell 0.52% to 8,682.8. australian steel manufacturer blue scope Steel soars more than 20% after confirmation that conglomerate has been formed SGH It had submitted an indicative non-binding proposal jointly with a U.S. steel producer. steel dynamics To acquire a company. The deal values BlueScope at approximately $9 billion.
hong kong Hang Seng Index rose 1.22%, while the mainland CSI 300 rose 1.55% to 4,790.69.
Singapore’s benchmark STI rose 0.7% to a new record high. OCBC analysts said on Tuesday that Singapore’s banks ended 2025 with another record year, as profits beat expectations and contributed to a more than 20% rise in financial stocks despite a bout of market volatility. Looking ahead to 2026, we expect banks’ profits to remain stable, supported by strong wealth inflows and healthy returns on equity, even as loan margins decline.
However, the bank warned that risks remained. The Singapore market is dominated by mature, value-oriented companies, with limited exposure to the rapid growth typically seen in technology stocks. A slowdown in the regional economy (particularly in China) will weigh on external demand, while higher oil prices could push up operating costs, given the situation in Venezuela remains fluid.
US stock futures were flat in early Asian trading.
Even after the US attack on Venezuela, US stocks rose overnight as oil prices rose and investors bet that the action would not lead to a broader geopolitical conflict.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 594.79 points, or 1.23%, to close at 48,977.18. The 30-stock index also hit new highs during this session. The S&P 500 rose 0.64% to end at 6,902.05. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.69% to settle at 23,395.82.
—CNBC’s Liz Napolitano, Fred Imbert and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
