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 rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.8%, the Nasdaq climbing 1.4%, and the Dow Jones adding about 66 points, after latest data showed inflation rate unexpectedly decreased. The annual inflation in the US fell to 2.7% in November, the lowest since July, below market expectations of 3.1%. Also, the core gauge fell to 2.6%, the lowest since March 2021. Although the figures remain noisy due to the absence of October data following the government shutdown, a sustained moderation in price pressures could pave the way for further Federal Reserve rate cuts next year. Consumer...
European stocks finished in positive territory on Thursday as traders positioned for central bank decisions today. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was almost 1% higher at the close of the session.Markets prepared for Europe's central banks to announce their final interest-rate decisions of the year on Thursday with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and Norges Bank all concluding monetary policy meetings on Thursday. The ECB kept rates at 2%, while Riksbank and Norges Bank also held steady. The Bank of England reduced its interest rate from 4% to 3.75%, in a...
Stocks rose on Thursday as Wall Street weighed the latest inflation data, which came in lighter-than-expected.The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 339 points, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 popped 1.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.5%. Micron Technology jumped 13% after the semiconductor play topped Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom lines for the fiscal first quarter and offered a strong revenue forecast for the current period. Micron helped rekindle the artificial intelligence trade, which has seen weakness in recent sessions. The delayed November consumer price index...
The Hang Seng Index rose 29 points, or 0.1%, to close at 25,498 on Thursday (December 18), reversing early losses, led by gains primarily from the financial sector. Sentiment improved as mainland Chinese stocks extended gains, with traders shifting to defensive sectors amid concerns over global AI spending and regional tensions. Investors welcomed data showing China's youth unemployment rate fell to a five-month low of 16.9% in November, signaling a tentative stabilization in the labor market. Meanwhile, China's fiscal revenue grew 0.8% year-on-year in the first 11 months, matching the...
European markets opened today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, with a cautious attitude. Investors await the latest move from the European Central Bank (ECB), which is expected to hold interest rates. Inflation in the eurozone has begun to stabilize, so the ECB has chosen not to rush into policy changes to maintain economic stability. The latest inflation data shows that price pressures have not increased sharply. This signals that economic conditions are still under control, although growth is not yet fully robust. This situation has led market participants to choose to wait before making...
The Nikkei 225 closed down 1.03% to 49,001.5 on Thursday (December 18, 2025), marking its lowest close in about three weeks. The broader Topix index also weakened 0.37% to 3,356.89. The main pressure came from heavily weighted technology stocks, as the market reassessed the prospects for AI and data center businesses—whether massive spending in these sectors would truly yield quick returns. This negative sentiment was also carried over from Wall Street, which also recently weakened, leading investors to reduce risk. From a fundamental perspective, market players are now holding back due to...
Hong Kong stocks fell 53 points, or 0.2%, to 25,416 in Thursday morning trading, reversing the previous session's gains after Wall Street closed significantly lower overnight due to lingering concerns over AI valuations and caution ahead of November inflation data. Caution is also growing ahead of policy meetings by several central banks in Europe and Asia scheduled for today and Friday. Meanwhile, mainland Chinese stocks were sluggish after Wednesday's rally, with investors awaiting China's foreign direct investment figures for the first 11 months, expected to be released today. From...
Japanese stocks fell sharply in today's trading, with the Nikkei index falling 1.7% to 48,669.70. This decline followed Wall Street's overnight plunge, as global market sentiment was dominated by investor risk aversion. The greatest pressure came from artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Investors began to withdraw after several major players in the cloud infrastructure sector withdrew from data center projects. This situation raised concerns about the future growth prospects of the AI sector. SoftBank Group was one of the worst-performing stocks, plummeting 6.7%, followed by Lasertec...
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....