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...
Major bourses in Europe were lower on Tuesday, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 down 0.6%, as investors returned from the Easter break amid renewed concerns over trade tensions, the economic outlook, and the independence of the Federal Reserve. President Trump intensified his criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, increasing pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates, and fueling fresh concerns about its autonomy. Meanwhile, trade negotiations between the US and other countries over tariffs are ongoing. Investors are also closely watching the IMF Spring Meetings this week,...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.14%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205), which rose 5.76% or 24.70 points to trade at 453.30 at the close. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713) added 4.98% or 151.00 points to end at 3,185.00 and Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) was up 3.88% or 94.50 points to 2,528.50 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Taiyo Yuden Co.,...
European markets are expected to return from the long Easter weekend on a positive note. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 60 points higher at 8,254, Germany's DAX up 253 points at 21,064, France's CAC 81 points higher at 7,241 and Italy's FTSE MIB 441 points higher at 34,967, according to data from IG. There are no major earnings or data releases from Europe Tuesday but traders will be keeping an eye on news and comment out of the IMF-World Bank Spring meetings in Washington this week, where the threat and fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs regime is likely to...
Stocks in Hong Kong fell 104 points or 0.5% to 21,292 in early trade on Tuesday, following an overnight slump on Wall Street after U.S. President Trump intensified criticism of Fed Chair Powell, calling him "a major loser" for not cutting interest rates. Trading resumed in the city after the holiday break, weighed down by fresh tensions as China warned it would retaliate against any trade deals with the U.S. that undermine its interests. Losses were partially limited by comments from Premier Li Qiang, who urged officials to step up efforts to stabilize the stock market. Meanwhile, the...
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to below 34,200 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.2% to 2,523 on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session and taking cues from a weak lead on Wall Street as political pressure on the Federal Reserve weighed on sentiment. Investor concerns grew after President Donald Trump intensified criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, raising fears over the central bank's independence. The lack of progress on global trade talks also weighed on market sentiment. Moreover, a strengthening yen, which surged to a seven-month high on Monday, put downward pressure on...
Asia-Pacific markets were subdued Tuesday, tracking Wall Street's sell-off after U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his pressure campaign on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.Japan's Nikkei 225 as well as the Topix were trading flat. South Korea's Kospi added 0.19% and the small-cap Kosdaq inched 0.16% higher.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.63%.Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 0.25%. Mainland China's CSI 300 slipped 0.17% at the open.U.S. stock futures were nearly flat. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 18 points. Both the S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq...
US stock futures were steady on Tuesday after a sharp selloff in the prior session, driven by renewed concerns over the Federal Reserve's independence. On Monday, the Dow fell 0.48%, the S&P 500 dropped 2.36%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 2.55%, with all 11 S&P sectors ending lower—led by consumer discretionary, technology, and energy. Heavy losses hit megacap tech stocks, including Nvidia (-4.5%), Tesla (-5.8%), and Amazon (-3.1%). The decline followed criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by President Donald Trump, who called him "Mr. Too Late, a major loser," and demanded immediate rate...
US stocks closed sharply lower on Monday (4/21) after President Trump stepped up his criticism of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, raising concerns about the central bank's independence and shaking investor confidence. The selloff was swift and widespread, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq down 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively. The Dow dropped 971 points, while tech giants led the decline—Tesla dropped 6%, Nvidia dropped 4.5% and Amazon dropped 3.1%. All 11 sectors ended in the red, with tech, consumer staples and energy stocks the hardest hit. In a Truth Social post, Trump called Powell "Mr. Too Late,...
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....