Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expects a substantial drop in inflation during the first six months of 2026, according to statements made Tuesday on Fox Business. Bessent indicated that an announcement regarding President Trump's Federal Reserve chair selection would likely come in early January, with "one or two more Fed interviews" possibly taking place this week. When discussing potential candidates, Bessent noted that both Kevin Warsh and Kevin Hassett are "very very qualified" for the position. He rejected suggestions that Hassett would lack agency at the Federal Reserve, while...
Japanese stocks were mixed following a Wall Street rally driven by the chip/tech sector. An unexpected decline in the US PPI fueled hopes of a Fed rate cut. Investors in Tokyo remained cautious ahead of the US CPI release.At 9:27 a.m. Tokyo time, the Topix index fell 0.3% to 3,132.94, while the Nikkei index rose 0.2% to 43,941.62. Of the 1,675 stocks on the Topix, 600 rose, 966 fell, and 109 were unchanged. Toyota was the biggest drag on the Topix, falling 1.8%.Strong interest poured into AI-themed stocks such as SoftBank Group, Advantest, and Ibiden. Growth expectations also boosted...
Asian stocks moved mixed on Thursday after Wall Street rallied and pushed the S&P 500 to a new record. A decline in US producer price inflation (PPI) bolstered confidence that the Fed could cut interest rates again next week. Early in the session, Australia weakened while Japan fluctuated; US futures continued to edge higher. In the bond market, Treasuries stabilized after Wednesday's rally, while Australian and New Zealand debt strengthened. The dollar index tended to be flat and the yen strengthened against the greenback in early Asian trading—reflecting a "wait-and-see" mode ahead of...
The S&P 500 notched a second straight record-high close on Wednesday, as Oracle surged and cooler-than-expected inflation data supported expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week. Oracle soared in its biggest one-day percentage gain since 1992 after the tech company pointed to a demand surge from AI firms for its cloud services. Its stock market value reached as high as $970 billion, leapfrogging the values of Eli Lilly, JPMorgan Chase and Walmart, and approaching Tesla's $1.1 trillion market value. AI-related chip stocks also rallied, with Nvidia,...
European stocks closed mostly lower on Wednesday with losses from tech, consumer defensive companies, and miners as markets continued to assess the outlook on global rates and geopolitical risk. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 closed dropped 0.2% to 5,378 and the pan-European STOXX 600 inched below the flatline to 552. The ECB is expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged tomorrow, though updated economic forecasts and guidance on the policy outlook will be closely watched. Geopolitical risks also remained in focus: Israel carried out strikes on Hamas targets in Qatar, while Poland intercepted...
The S&P 500 jumped to a fresh record on Wednesday after a reading on wholesale prices unexpectedly declined, a welcome development for investors clamoring for a Federal Reserve rate cut next week to boost the economy. Oracle shares led the gains with a more than 30% surge following an eye-popping forecast tied to artificial intelligence. The broad market index climbed 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3%. The Nasdaq, alongside the S&P 500, had reached a new all-time intraday high in the trading day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 106 points, or 0.2%. Market sentiment...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
Pasangan mata uang EUR/USD mengawali pekan ini dengan nada sedikit melemah di sesi Asia, diperdagangkan di sekitar 1,1730, turun kurang dari 0,10% dalam sehari. Meski terkoreksi, euro masih berada...
US President Donald Trump said Washington is willing to provide security assistance to Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war with Russia. He emphasized that security support is a crucial factor...