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 Hang Seng rose by 87 points, or 0.4%, to close at 23,207 on Tuesday, following a weak session the day before, as it moved away from a four-week low, lifted by expansion in the Chinese manufacturing sector. A private survey showed that factory activity in the mainland grew the most in four months, following Monday's official data that revealed the manufacturing sector expanded at the fastest pace in a year. However, capping the gains, traders anticipated the unveiling of Trump's tariffs on Wednesday. Tech, commercial services, energy minerals, and miscellaneous sectors mainly drove the...
Japan's Topix Index eked out a small gain after paring most of its earlier rise, as a fall in US futures added to worries about Donald Trump's upcoming reciprocal tariffs. Topix rose 0.1% to 2,661.73 as of market close in Tokyo, after rising as high as 2,697.33 in morning trade Nikkei was virtually unchanged at 35,624.48 Drugmakers and trading houses contributed the most to the Topix's advance, while banks and electronics makers were the heaviest drag. "There's noticeable selling in sectors seen as sensitive to the economy, such as banks and tech," as concerns about...
European stocks rebounded on the first day of the quarter as investor focus remained on an expected tariff announcement from the US. The Stoxx 600 gained 0.9% at 8:06 a.m. in London. AstraZeneca Plc rose 1.6% as its experimental cholesterol drug significantly reduced "bad" cholesterol in a mid-stage trial. US President Donald Trump will announce his reciprocal tariff push on Wednesday during an event in the White House Rose Garden, his top spokeswoman said, adding that the announcement would feature "country-based" levies. European sectors exposed to duties, such...
Shares in Hong Kong rose by 142 points, or 0.6%, to 23,247 in morning deals on Tuesday, halting the bearish trend of the prior two sessions, supported by gains in tech, energy, and consumer services. Fresh data from China lifted sentiment after a private survey showed that factory activity in the mainland grew the most in four months, following Monday's official data that revealed the manufacturing sector expanded at the fastest pace in a year. The Hang Seng rebounded from a four-week low touched the day before, tracking a rise in Wall Street's S&P and Dow Jones overnight. However,...
The Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to surpass 3,350, while the Shenzhen Component edged up 0.4% to 10,550 on Tuesday, with mainland stocks rebounding after a two-day decline as investors reacted positively to strong factory activity data. A private survey showed that Chinese manufacturing expansion accelerated more than expected in March, reaching a four-month high amid robust external demand. Total new orders grew for the sixth consecutive month, while new export orders recorded their fastest expansion in nearly a year. However, investor sentiment remained cautious as markets awaited the...
Japanese stocks rebounded, buoyed by the solid performance of US equities ahead of Trump's announcement on reciprocal tariffs, as well as a pause in the yen's strength. The Topix Index rose 1.2% to 2,690.37 as of 9:20 a.m. Tokyo time after a two-day loss of more than 5.6%. Sony Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix's gain, increasing 1.9%. Out of 1,692 stocks in the index, 1,415 rose and 223 fell, while 54 were unchanged. The Nikkei climbed 1% to 35,986.04 after entering a technical correction Monday. Bank, insurance and financial shares rose,...
European markets traded sharply lower on Monday as global investors braced for U.S. President Donald Trump's trade tariffs to come into force. The regional Stoxx 600 index closed 1.51% lower, with nearly all sectors and major bourses firmly in negative territory. The final trading day of March marks the Stoxx 600′s first losing month of the year, with a loss of nearly 3%, according to LSEG data. However, in 2025 so far the index continues to outperform the U.S. S&P 500, which is on course to drop more than 6% in March. The global sell-off comes ahead of a raft of Trump tariffs set to...
U.S. stocks fell Monday as traders looked ahead to "Liberation Day" for clarity on President Donald Trump's tariff plans. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 228 points lower, or 0.6%. The S&P 500 dipped 1.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 2.1%. Investors were in a risk-off mood again early Monday, selling the tech bull market winners like Nvidia, Tesla and Meta. A slew of tariffs previously announced by the Trump administration will go into effect on Wednesday — what Trump has called "Liberation Day" — including a 25% levy on "all cars that are not made in the United States." The...
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....