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...
Japanese stocks fell sharply Wednesday as US tariffs officially took effect, triggering broad market losses. The Nikkei 225 dropped 3.93% to 31,714, while the Topix Index declined 3.4% to 2,349, reversing gains from the previous session and mirroring overnight losses on Wall Street. The new measures include a 24% tariff on Japanese goods and a 25% levy on auto exports to the US. President Trump confirmed Japan will send a delegation to negotiate, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he urged Trump to reconsider the tariffs in a recent call. Financial and tech stocks led the selloff,...
The Hang Seng Index opened significantly lower this morning, down by 632 points or 3.14% settling at 19,494 points. Likewise, the National Index dropped by 232 points, or 3.13%, to stand at 7,198 points, while the Technology Index suffered a decline of 194 points, or 4.26%, now at 4,373 points. In the export sector this morning, Shenzhou International Group Holdings (2313) opened down 6.1%, while Intime Group (1382) remained flat at the opening. Crystal International Group (2232) saw a decrease of 5.6%. The shipping and port stocks also faced a downturn; China Merchants Port Holdings (0144)...
The Nikkei 225 Index plunged 3.6% toward 31,800 while the broader Topix Index tumbled 2.9% to 2,362 on Wednesday, giving back gains from the previous session and tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as US President Donald Trump's new tariffs are set to come into effect later today. That would include a 24% tariff on Japanese goods and a 25% levy on car imports to the US. Meanwhile, Trump said that Japan is sending a team to negotiate on trade with the US, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba revealed that he told Trump in a phone call to rethink his tariff policies. Financial and...
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Wednesday as investors brace themselves for U.S. President Donald Trump's country-specific tariffs that are set to come into effect midnight stateside. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slid 1.06%. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 3.14%, while the Topix traded 3.26% lower. South Korea's Kospi edged 0.18% lower while the small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.44%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 3.86%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index declined 5.42%.Additional tariffs will take effect just after U.S. midnight, adding to the 10% baseline duty that was already implemented on Saturday. Chinese...
The S&P 500 closed below 5,000 for the first time in nearly a year after a strong start to the session on Tuesday, amid growing concerns about a global trade war as the Trump administration prepares to raise tariffs on China at midnight. At 4:00 p.m. ET (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 320 points, or 0.8%, the S&P 500 was down 2% to close at 4,987.76 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 2.2%. The S&P 500, which rose about 4.1% at its high on the day, closed below 5,000 for the first time since April 19, 2024. Global trade war fears mount as tariffs on China...
European stock markets closed sharply higher in Tuesday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 advanced 2.72%, Germany's DAX rose 2.48%, the FTSE 100 in London climbed 2.71%, France's CAC 40 increased 2.50%, and the Swiss Market Index surged 2.82%. US President Donald Trump rejected a European Union proposal to eliminate tariffs on bilateral trade in industrial goods, which means a 20% tariff on all EU imports will take effect Wednesday, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Trump criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's offer as insufficient to reset the transatlantic trading...
Major U.S. stock indexes rallied more than 3% on Tuesday, snapping a three-day losing streak marked by heightened volatility, as investor sentiment improved on hopes of progress in U.S. tariff negotiations. The S&P 500 surged 3.1%, the Dow Jones soared by 1,300 points (3.5%), and the Nasdaq rose 3.2%. The rebound followed comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who disclosed that roughly 70 countries, including Japan, have reached out to the White House to initiate tariff talks. Despite the market optimism, U.S.-China tensions remained elevated. Beijing reiterated its resolve to...
The Hang Seng surged 299 points or 1.5% to close at 20,128 on Tuesday, partly rebounding from Monday's historic 13.2% fall, the steepest one-day loss since 2008. Gains were broad-based, led by tech and consumers, as hopes emerged that Washington might ease its tariff stance. In response to recent market turmoil, China moved state-owned firms and listed companies to help calm sentiment. Chinese financial regulator also plans to raise equity asset cap for some insurers by about 5%, aiming at channeling more long-term capital into stocks and supporting the economy. However, the index trimmed...
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....