Oil headed for the biggest weekly loss since late June as traders positioned for a key OPEC+ decision on supply this weekend. Brent futures edged marginally higher on Friday, but were still trading below $65 a barrel and set for a weekly slump of about 8%. Prices have declined the past four days on the expectation OPEC+ will discuss fast-tracking more supply hikes. Meanwhile, efforts by the Trump administration to keep oil exports flowing from northern Iraq, as well as a US government shutdown, have added to the bearish sentiment. The OPEC+ meeting comes as...
European markets traded flat to down on Friday amid concerns about the UK debt market, with attention now turning to US jobs data that could provide clues on the Fed's interest rate path The Stoxx 50 fell 0.1% and the Stoxx 600 was flat. Ubisoft shares fell more than 8% after it announced a review of its strategic options following speculation about a potential buyout. Investors also monitored a surge in UK bond yields, with the 30-year yield hitting a level not seen since the late 1990s and the 10-year yield hitting its highest since the 2008 financial crisis, reflecting growing concerns...
The Hang Seng fell 177 points, or 0.9%, to close at 19,064 on Friday, down for a fifth straight session and hitting its lowest in more than six weeks as sectors broadly lost ground. Nervous traders reacted to the People's Bank of China's decision to halt purchases of government bonds that sent yields soaring. Investors are cautiously awaiting China's December trade data, due later in the week. Exports grew less than expected in November, while imports unexpectedly shrank. Meanwhile, U.S. futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street, with traders preparing for the NFP data later in the...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Friday, as losses in the Shipping, Electric Power and Insurance sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 1.04%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857), which rose 5.12% or 506.00 points to trade at 10,380.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) rose 4.86% or 115.50 points to close at 2,490.00 and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801) gained 3.48% or 244.00 points to 7,259.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Mitsui...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.9% to below 39,300 while the broader Topix INdex lost 0.6% to 2,720 on Friday, with both benchmarks sliding for the third straight session and heading toward their second straight weekly drop. Investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of the US jobs report, which could influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook for the year. Global stocks also faced pressure on Thursday after the release of the latest Fed minutes, which pointed to a potential slowdown in the pace of policy easing due to ongoing concerns over inflation. Domestically, Japan's real...
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell Friday, with investors assessing November pay and household spending out from Japan. Real household spending in Japan fell 0.4% year on year in November, a softer fall compared to the 0.6% decline expected by a Reuters poll of economists. The fall was also less than the 1.3% decline seen in October. The average real income per household stood at 514,409 yen ($3,252.98) in November, up 0.7% from the previous yearJapan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.41% on its open, with the broad based Topix seeing a smaller loss of 0.27%.South Korea's Kospi was the only outlier,...
European stocks edged higher, with the STOXX 50 rising 0.2% and the STOXX 600 up 0.4%, recovering from earlier declines. Mining stocks led gains, rising 1.5%, while retail stocks trimmed losses to end 0.8% lower. Bavarian Nordic shares jumped 4.8% after announcing a DKK 150 million ($20.7 million) share buyback. Meanwhile, Danish shipping giant Moller-Maersk dropped 5.8% following a tentative US dockworkers' labor deal that eased strike fears, triggering a sell-off in shipping stocks. Stabilizing US Treasury yields and European borrowing costs brought some relief to markets, but concerns...
The Hang Seng fell 39 points, or 0.2%, to 19,241 on Thursday (1/9) after trading slightly higher in the morning, with losses in the financial and property sectors. The market ended lower for a fourth straight session after fresh data showed China's annual inflation rate hit a nine-month low of 0.1% in December while deflation in manufacturers continued for a 27th month. Cautious traders also digested details about Beijing's expanded consumer trade-in scheme amid drag from the property sector. Meanwhile, U.S. futures plunged, on growing concerns that there may be fewer interest rate cuts...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Insurance, Financial Services and Mining sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.87%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4519), which rose 3.53% or 237.00 points to trade at 6,954.00 at the close. Meanwhile, DIC Corp. (TYO:4631) gained 2.77% or 95.00 points to close at 3,520.00 and Nintendo Co Ltd. (TYO:7974) gained 2.43% or 216.00 points to 9,119.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (TYO:9107),...
Gold (XAU/USD) is extending its decline on Wednesday for a second consecutive day as the US Dollar (USD) and US Treasury yields firm ahead of the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)...
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....