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
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Monday as investors began the final trading week of the year.
Japanese benchmark Nikkei Stock Average It fell by 0.55%, and TOPIX fell by 0.26%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.62%, and the Kosdaq index rose 0.19%.
hong kong Hang Seng Index rose by 0.7%, but the mainland’s CSI 300 remained flat.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.21%.
Spot silver prices rose to a new record high of over $80 per ounce before plummeting to $77. Experts say silver’s recent rally is due to speculative buying and persistent supply tightness. Sprott Asset Management said silver’s rally this year reflects a depletion of freely traded inventories, with price volatility widening as demand increases.
“Silver continues to price in a more favorable macro outlook for 2026, with lower interest rates and the potential for a weaker US dollar increasing the appeal of hard assets,” said Trevor Yates, senior investment analyst at GlobalXETF.
US stock futures were flat in early Asian trading. In the United States, the S&P 500 index hit a new high on Friday, marking a weekly gain as traders returned from Christmas break.
The comprehensive market index ended 0.03% lower at 6,929.94. The S&P 500 index rose 0.2% to a record high of 6,945.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.09% to close at 23,593.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 20.19 points, or 0.04%, to settle at 48,710.97.
For the week, the S&P 500 rose 1.4%, marking its fourth gain in five weeks. The Dow and Nasdaq have also risen more than 1% since the beginning of the week.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Fred Imbert contributed to this report.
