OPEC on Tuesday raised its forecast for global oil demand next year and trimmed its forecast for growth in supply from the United States and other producers outside the wider OPEC+ group, pointing to a tighter market outlook. World oil demand will rise by 1.38 million barrels per day in 2026, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report, up 100,000 bpd from the previous forecast. This year's expectation was left unchanged. Oil supply from countries outside the Declaration of Cooperation - the formal name for OPEC+ - will rise by about 630,000 barrels per...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Communications, Steel and Transportation Equipment sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.80%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201), which rose 6.51% or 27.20 points to trade at 444.80 at the close. Meanwhile, IHI Corp. (TYO:7013) gained 4.93% or 404.00 points to close at 8,604.00 and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) gained 3.24% or 206.00 points to 6,570.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755),...
Hong Kong stocks plunged 212 points, or 1.0%, to 19,653 in morning trade on Thursday after a big gain the previous day, pressured by a sharp drop on Wall Street overnight after the U.S. Fed cut interest rates for the third time this year, as expected, but halved the number of rate cuts anticipated for next year to two. The market was near a two-week low, with all sectors dragging down the Hang Seng Index. China Vanke Co. Its shares plunged 4.5% after Bloomberg News reported that Chinese regulators have asked the country's largest insurers to disclose their financial exposure to the troubled...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 1% to below 38,700, while the broader Topix Index fell 0.5% to 2,706 on Thursday, hitting a three-week low. The declines mirrored a sharp selloff on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled fewer interest rate cuts in 2025 than previously expected. The Fed now expects just two rate cuts next year, down from the four projected in its September outlook. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision later in the day. The central bank is likely to hold off on raising interest rates as policymakers assess the latest...
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Thursday morning (19/12), tracking broad declines on Wall Street as the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its benchmark lending rate for a third straight meeting while signaling fewer rate cuts ahead. Investors in Asia are looking ahead to the Bank of Japan's interest rate decision after a two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to keep its target interest rate unchanged at 0.25%. The Japanese yen was slightly higher on Thursday morning at 154.57 against the U.S. dollar. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% while the Topix fell 1.27%. In South...
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, but reined in the number of rate cuts ahead on concerns about sticker inflation amid a brighter economic outlook. The Federal Open Market Committee, the FOMC, cut its benchmark rate by 25 bps to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. In what was the third rate cut of the year since the first cut in September, Fed members now appear to be easing away from a deep rate cut cycle, betting on fewer rate cuts ahead. Fed members now see the benchmark rate falling to 3.9% for next year, suggesting just two rate cuts, compared with a prior...
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday evening on Truth Social that Israel and Iran have agreed to a "Complete and Total CEASEFIRE" following what he referred to as "THE 12 DAY...
Gold moved above $2600 on Monday during the Asian trading session. Currently, Gold is still struggling to capitalize on last week's modest recovery from a one-month low and is fluctuating.
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