Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference. Asian shares Friday were mixed, with Chinese technology stocks rising as most other Asian equities declined.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped nearly 0.44% in early trading to 38,893.65. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid just 0.04% to 8,517.20. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.23% to 2,530.79. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.35% to 31,173.35, while the Shanghai Composite was up 1.33% to 3,314.29.Chinese technology stocks trading in Hong Kong appear poised to enter a bull market after AI models released by DeepSeek sparked renewed interest in China’s technology firms.Xiaomi’s Hong Kong stock was up 5.67% Friday to trade at 42.85 Hong Kong dollars, while Alibaba stock jumped 1.47% to trade at 100 Hong Kong dollars. Tencent, China’s largest video game firm, jumped 1.90% to 428.40 Hong Kong dollars.Japan’s Nikkei index may come under greater pressure from a stronger yen, with a sharp beat in January household spending reinforcing expectations for further rate hikes from the Bank of Japan ahead, according to Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.“Along with both headline and core inflation accelerating over the past two months, the case for further policy responses to curb pricing pressures remains strong,” said Yeap.On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.36%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.28% and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.51% on Thursday.Investors are also bracing for the uncertainty that comes with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. After signing executive orders to levy 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, fears of a global trade war have eased slightly after Trump gave both countries a 30-day reprieves for tariffs, raising hopes that tariffs are likely to be a negotiation tool rather than the Trump administration’s long-term policy.However, Trump has pressed ahead with 10% tariffs on Chinese goods, while China has retaliated by imposing tariffs on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as crude oil, agriculture machinery and large-engine cars. China also launched an anti
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