Oil prices stabilized on Thursday (February 12th), as the market reassigned a risk premium to US-Iran tensions despite US inventory data showing swelling domestic supplies. This movement confirms one thing: geopolitical headlines are still more "noise" than signals of a short-term surplus. As of 3:50 PM WIB, Brent was at $69.60/barrel (+0.29%) and WTI was at $64.83/barrel (+0.31%). The gains were moderate, but enough to keep prices near the psychological $70 level for Brent. From a geopolitical perspective, market focus is on the potential for escalation in the Middle East. Recent reports...
Both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 traded around the flatline on Monday, as investors adopted a cautious stance amid a lack of fresh catalysts. The only notable data release was the UK's final GDP growth figures, which confirmed the preliminary estimate. Trading conditions are expected to remain subdued this week, as the schedule is shortened by the Christmas holiday, with most major European stock exchanges closed on Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, investors continue to monitor developments in the war in Ukraine, after a Kremlin aide said that European and Ukrainian revisions to US peace...
The Hang Seng rose 111 points, or 0.4%, to close at 25,802 on Monday, hitting its highest level in over one week and extending gains for a fourth straight session. The move tracked a rise in U.S. futures after a rebound in AI-related stocks fueled an upbeat session on Wall Street. Sentiment was also supported by the PBoC's decision to keep key lending rates at record lows for a seventh straight meeting, as the economy remains on track to meet this year's growth target. Traders took advantage of shortened trading hours this week amid hopes of further Fed rate cuts and a lack of strong market...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.81% to close at 50,402 on Monday, comfortably surpassing the 50,000-point mark, tracking Friday's strong performance on Wall Street. The rally on Wall Street was driven by robust technology earnings and easing concerns over a potential technology boom risk. Gains in the index were also supported by a weakening yen following the Bank of Japan's widely anticipated rate hike. The central bank raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. A sharp drop in the yen is expected to lift export earnings for Japanese companies....
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.81% to close at 50,402 on Monday, comfortably surpassing the 50,000-point mark, tracking Friday's strong performance on Wall Street. The rally on Wall Street was driven by robust technology earnings and easing concerns over a potential technology boom risk. Gains in the index were also supported by a weakening yen following the Bank of Japan's widely anticipated rate hike. The central bank raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. A sharp drop in the yen is expected to lift export earnings for Japanese companies....
Hong Kong stocks rallied in Monday morning trading. The Hang Seng rose 71 points, or 0.3%, to 25,762, its highest level in more than a week and its fourth consecutive session of gains. This strengthening followed positive sentiment on Wall Street. Technology stocks led the way as optimism around AI-related stocks rebounded. In China, sentiment was also supported by the People's Bank of China's Central Bank's decision to maintain its benchmark lending rate at its lowest level for the seventh consecutive meeting. This move is seen as maintaining policy support while the economy remains on...
Hong Kong stocks rallied in Monday morning trading. The Hang Seng rose 71 points, or 0.3%, to 25,762, its highest level in more than a week and its fourth consecutive session of gains. This strengthening followed positive sentiment on Wall Street. Technology stocks led the way as optimism around AI-related stocks rebounded. In China, sentiment was also supported by the People's Bank of China's Central Bank's decision to maintain its benchmark lending rate at its lowest level for the seventh consecutive meeting. This move is seen as maintaining policy support while the economy remains on...
Asian stocks opened higher, following Friday's rise in US stocks, which fueled hopes for a year-end rally. Many investors are starting to re-enter the market after a market correction. The MSCI Asia-Pacific stock index rose 0.5%, with the technology sector leading the gains. The index had previously recorded a 1.9% weekly decline on Friday, its first decline in four weeks. On Monday morning, US stock futures also rose in early Asian trading. Market optimism strengthened after dip buying at the end of last week helped the market recover from pressure triggered by doubts about the AI hype...
Japanese stocks rose in early trading after the yen weakened sharply following the Bank of Japan (BoJ) interest rate hike on Friday, in line with market expectations. The index's rise was largely driven by chip stocks. This sector immediately led the gains amid positive sentiment from the weakening yen. Several major stocks also surged: SoftBank Group rose 6.7%, Kioxia Holdings rose 5.7%, and Tokyo Electron Ltd. rose 5.1%. The yen's movement was clearly visible in the foreign exchange market. USD/JPY was at 157.56, up from 155.95 at the Tokyo stock market close on Friday. Investors also...
Gold rises in the early Asian trade. There's a broad commodities uptrend, driven by macro uncertainty, a weaker dollar, and persistent demand for "hard" assets, says Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
Oil extended declines after OPEC+ agreed to a bigger-than-expected production increase next month, raising concerns about oversupply just as US tariffs fan fears about the demand outlook.
Brent...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened against its US counterpart and reversed part of Friday's recovery from the lowest level since July 23 following Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks....