Japan's finance minister Katayama said she hopes to accelerate discussions on expanding household-targeted JGB products.

Japan Meteorological Agency: Since spring 2026, El Nifio appears to have persisted.

Hong Kong opened higher then traded sideways; the Hang Seng closed down 0.7% at 24,030.18. The Hang Seng Tech index was flat, up 0.01% at 4,731.56. Turnover HKD 377.25 bln. Semiconductors led gains while airlines and autos lagged; lithium-battery names extended losses and broader tech eased. Biggest movers: Xinzhi Holdings (02166.HK) +~28%, Zhaoyi Innovation (03986.HK) +21%+, Lanqi Technology (06809.HK) +19.4%, SMIC (00981.HK) +10%+, Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347.HK) +8%+, Lenovo Group (00992.HK) +7.7%, ZTE (00763.HK) +6.5%. MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) fell 18% on first-day unlock. Losers included Longpan Technology (02465.HK) -7%, Laopu Gold (06181.HK) and Jitu Express (01519.HK) -5.5%, Kuaishou (01024.HK), Leapmotor (09863.HK) and Bilibili (09626.HK) down >4%. New listings: Qiyunshan Foods (02797.HK) +162.5% debut, Luoshi Robotics (03752.HK) +15.2%; Luxshare Precision (02475.HK) -1.55%, Puyuan Precision Electronics (00537.HK) -37.4%.