Gotrade News - Asian markets moved on three large catalysts on Monday (28/04) from Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. The BoJ decision, Samsung SDI print, and WuXi AppTec surge anchored regional flows.
These releases shifted positioning across currencies, battery names, and contract pharma. We break down the numbers for investors tracking Asia exposure.
--- - BoJ held rates at 0.75% with three dissenters; yen strengthened on hawkish tone. - Samsung SDI posted a 155.6 billion won loss, far smaller than analyst estimates. - WuXi AppTec jumped 15% after Q1 revenue grew 28.8% year over year. ---
The BoJ kept its short-term policy rate unchanged at 0.75% on Tuesday morning Tokyo time. The vote split 6 to 3, with Nakagawa, Takata, and Tamura pushing for a hike to 1.0%.
According to investingLive on Monday (28/04), the three dissenters signaled a more hawkish tone than markets had priced in. The yen firmed against the dollar shortly after the decision crossed the wires.
The BoJ also lifted its fiscal 2026 core CPI forecast to 2.8% from 1.9% in January. Strategists said the revision factored in broader pass-through from higher crude oil prices.
Markets now see the next rate hike landing as early as June 2026. The growth outlook was trimmed as the Iran war clouds Japan's external demand picture.
Samsung SDI reported Q1 revenue of 3.58 trillion won on Tuesday morning Seoul time. The operating loss narrowed to 155.6 billion won, or about 106 million US dollars.
That print was far better than analyst estimates of a 270.7 billion won shortfall. Revenue rose 12.6% year over year while the operating loss shrank 64.2% or 278.5 billion won.
Samsung SDI shares closed at 677,000 won, up 6.61% in Tuesday's session. Net profit also returned to positive territory at 56.1 billion won after six straight quarterly losses.
NH Investment & Securities flagged Q1 as the likely low point for the year. Full profitability is expected to return in the second half of 2026 as battery demand recovers.
WuXi AppTec posted Q1 revenue of 12.44 billion yuan, equivalent to 1.7 billion US dollars. The figure rose 28.8% year over year, surprising analysts covering Chinese CRO names.
Net profit attributable to shareholders hit 4.65 billion yuan, up 26.7% year over year. The Chemistry unit was the main engine with revenue surging 43.7% over the same period.
Hong Kong-listed shares jumped 15% to HK$144.8 by 05:14 GMT on Monday. That level marked the highest print since December 2021 according to Investing.com data.
The Testing and Biology segments also grew 27.4% and 10.1% year over year respectively. Management cited improved operational efficiency and higher capacity utilization as margin drivers.
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