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...
The S&P 500 rose Tuesday, clawing back into positive territory for the year, as investors extended the sharp gains seen in the previous session due to easing U.S.-China trade tensions. The broad market index gained 0.72% to close at 5,886.55, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.61% to end at 19,010.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, losing 269.67 points, or 0.64%, as a nearly 18% drop in shares of UnitedHealth pressured the benchmark. Shares of Nvidia advanced 5.6% on news that the company would send 18,000 of its top artificial intelligence chips to Saudi Arabia. Peer chip...
European stocks closed higher on Tuesday, marginally extending the rally from the previous session on further support from the seemingly restored trade relationship between the United States and China. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 closed 0.4% higher at 5,411 and the pan-European STOXX 600 closed marginally above the flatline at 545. European equities had rallied the previous session after the US and China de-escalated their trade war for the next 90 days to renegotiate trade terms, supporting the macroeconomic backdrop for all industries. The auto sector led the gains with Volkswagen, BMW, and...
The S&P 500 hovered near the flatline on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq rose 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 150 points, as enthusiasm for a 90-day U.S.-China tariff truce faded and investors digested the latest CPI report. April inflation was lower than expected, suggesting the impact of tariffs has not yet fully materialized.In response, traders increased bets on about a 55 basis point Fed rate cut this year. Consumer discretionary and technology stocks led gains, while health care underperformed. UnitedHealth shares plunged nearly 13% to a four-year low around $330...
The Hang Seng tumbled 441 points or 1.9% to close at 23,108 on Tuesday, ending an eight-sessions of gains as all sectors fell. Despite a Sino-U.S. trade truce that exceeded market expectations, traders grew uneasy about what may follow once temporary pause ends. Profit-taking also weighed on the market after the index hit a 1-1/2-month high in the prior session. A drop in U.S. futures further dented sentiment, ahead of key inflation data later today. Meanwhile, concerns over deflation risks in China mounted, as consumer prices fell for the third month in April and producer prices saw a...
European stock markets opened in positive territory on Tuesday (5/13) as uncertainty over the global trade outlook persisted despite a 90-day pause in the tariff dispute between the U.S. and China. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.26% higher at 8:15 a.m. in London. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was 0.12% higher, France's CAC 40 was 0.06% higher and Germany's DAX was up 0.16%. This comes after global markets rallied on Monday following news that Washington and Beijing had agreed to cut high tariffs for 90 days, raising hopes that a full-blown trade war could be averted. Asia-Pacific markets...
Japanese stocks rose after the close on Tuesday (5/13), as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors helped stocks advance. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.54%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801), which rose 13.84% or 681.00 points to trade at 5,601.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Denka Co Ltd (TYO:4061) rose 9.84% or 191.00 points to close at 2,132.50 and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TYO:7211) gained 8.34% or 34.60 points to 449.60 at the close. The worst performers on the session were Sharp Corp (TYO:6753), which fell...
Hong Kong shares plunged 343 points, or 1.5%, to 23,205 during the morning session on Tuesday, ending an eight-day winning streak as investors locked in profits after the Hang Seng hit a 1-1/2-month high. U.S. futures also edged lower ahead of a key inflation report. At the same time, concerns over persistent deflation in China resurfaced after consumer prices fell for a third straight month in April, while factory-gate prices posted their sharpest drop in six months. However, losses were somewhat tempered by a significant lull in U.S.-China trade tensions after high-level talks, with the...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 2.1% to above 38,400, while the broader Topix index gained 1.8% to 2,790 on Tuesday, as Japanese equities hit a multi-month high following a strong rally on Wall Street. The market gains came after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily lower tariffs, easing fears of a prolonged trade war and reducing the risk of a global recession. In a related development, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed that Japan would not accept an initial trade deal with the U.S. unless it included provisions on the auto sector, urging Washington to remove 25% tariffs on Japanese...
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....