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...
US stocks closed sharply higher on a triple-witching Friday, with the S&P 500 rising 0,9%, the Nasdaq 100 gaining 1.4%, and the Dow Jones adding more than 180 points, extending gains from the previous session as technology stocks outperformed. The AI-related trade showed signs of recovery, led by Oracle, whose shares jumped more than 7% after TikTok agreed to sell its US operations to a new joint venture involving Oracle and private-equity firm Silver Lake. Micron Technology advanced 7%, building on its 10% surge on Thursday. Also, Nvidia shares climbed more than 3% after Reuters...
European equities closed higher on Friday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.6% and the STOXX 600 rising 0.4% to a fresh record, boosted by expectations of further Fed rate cuts next year and fading bets that the ECB will raise borrowing costs in 2026. Broad-based buying lifted heavyweight stocks, with ASML up 1%, Novo Nordisk nearly 2%, and HSBC and AstraZeneca gaining more than 1%. Cyclical and defensive names also advanced, including Rolls-Royce at +2.7%, Prosus at +2.3%, Roche at +2.2%, Iberdrola and Shell both at +1.5%, and Safran at +1.3%. In contrast, sportswear stocks underperformed, with...
The Hang Seng Index rose 192 points, or 0.75%, to end at 25,690 on Friday, extending its gains for a third session as all major sectors advanced. Sentiment was boosted by continued gains in mainland China's stock market amid reports that ByteDance had reached an agreement with three major investors to form a joint venture to operate the TikTok app in the US, aiming to avoid a potential ban. Hopes for fresh stimulus from Beijing before the end of the year also supported the market, while traders awaited the upcoming People's Bank of China (PBOC) interest rate decision. Man Wah Holdings...
European stocks opened mixed on Friday (December 19th), as investors digested a number of interest rate decisions and awaited crucial budget talks in France. Regional investors were shaken by a day full of central bank decisions, with Thursday bringing monetary policy updates from the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Norges Bank, and the Riksbank. All but the Bank of England, which cut interest rates by 25 basis points, kept their key rates unchanged. The ECB raised its economic growth outlook for the eurozone, saying it now expects growth of up to 1.4% in 2025 and 1.2% in...
The Nikkei 225 index closed higher on Friday, December 19, 2025, rising by around 1.16% to 49,568. This gain attracted attention because it occurred amidst news of a Bank of Japan (BOJ) interest rate hike, which typically depresses the stock market. The key factor: although the BOJ raised interest rates 25 bps to 0.75%, its policy tone remained cautious and gradual, so the market assessed that further increases would not be aggressive. This meant that investors felt the risk of a "painful" tightening for the economy was not yet too great. Furthermore, the yen's weakening following the...
Hong Kong stocks rose 150 points, or 0.6%, to 25,649 in early trading on Friday, maintaining gains for the third straight session amid broad-based strength across sectors. Sentiment was lifted by a stronger close on Wall Street overnight, driven by a rebound in technology stocks and weaker US inflation data that reinforced expectations of a Fed rate cut next year. A third straight gain in mainland Chinese stocks also supported the market, as investors positioned themselves for China's key policy rate decision next week. Among the stocks that saw significant gains, XPeng surged 4.6%, followed...
Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 0.9% to 49,443.48 in the latest trading session, following a positive rally on Wall Street overnight. The rise was fueled by lower-than-expected US inflation data, raising investor expectations that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next year. Chris Beauchamp, an analyst at IG, said investors want to see data supporting the Fed's case for a rate cut. However, he also highlighted the risk that uncertainty about price trends could dampen market optimism about further rate cuts. In the Japanese stock market, several leading companies posted significant...
Asia-Pacific stock markets opened higher on Friday, as investors awaited a key decision from the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Markets expect the BOJ to raise interest rates to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. LSEG data shows an 86.4% chance of a rate hike, amid efforts to curb inflation, which has long been above target. This rate hike has the potential to strengthen the yen against the US dollar and help curb inflationary pressures. The latest Japanese government data showed consumer inflation fell to 2.9% in November, while core inflation remained at 3%, in line with economists' forecasts. On...
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....