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...
Stocks fell on Thursday as investors weighed the latest tariff-related news from President Donald Trump, including his new tariffs aimed at foreign automakers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 155.09 points, or 0.37%, to end at 42,299.70. The S&P 500 declined 0.33% to close at 5,693.31, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.53% to settle at 17,804.03. Shares of several automakers declined after Trump on Wednesday evening announced 25% tariffs on "all cars that are not made in the United States," which will go into effect on April 2. General Motors pulled back more than 7%, while Ford...
European stocks closed lower Thursday as global markets reacted to new automotive tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The regional Stoxx 600 index closed 0.44% lower as all major bourses declined. The Stoxx Europe autos index was down nearly 1% as most firms pared earlier losses, with Jeep maker Stellantis shedding 4.2%, Mercedes-Benz down 2.7% and Germany's BMW down 2.55%.Trump said on Wednesday that he will impose a 25% tariff on "all cars that are not made in the United States" with the levies due to take effect on April 2. Trump White House aide Will Scharf said the new...
Stocks flitted between gains and losses on Thursday as investors weighed the latest tariff-related news from President Donald Trump, including his new tariffs aimed at foreign automakers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 142 points, or 0.3%. The S&P 500 lost about 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.2%. Shares of several automakers declined after Trump on Wednesday evening announced 25% tariffs on "all cars that are not made in the United States," which will go into effect on April 2. General Motors pulled back 7.5%, while Stellantis lost 2% and Ford slipped 3%. Elon Musk's...
The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, the Nasdaq lost 0.7% and the Dow Jones sank about 180 points on Thursday, as traders digested the latest tariff announcements and fresh economic data. The Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on "all cars not made in the US," set to take effect on April 2, while Trump warned of imposing "far larger" tariffs on the EU and Canada if they coordinated efforts to counter US trade measures. Concerns are growing that these tariffs could hurt the US economy and drive inflation higher. On the data front, GDP growth for Q4 was revised slightly higher to 2.4% from...
Major bourses in Europe were lower on Thursday, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 declining almost 1%, pressured by the auto sector. Yesterday, the Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on "all cars that are not made in the United States" due to take effect on April 2 and President Trump threatened to impose "far larger" tariffs on the EU and Canada if they work together to combat trade tariffs. The autos and part index sank about 3% to hit the lowest level since early December. Shares of Porsche (-5.4%), Mercedes-Benz (-5.4%), BMW (-4.3%), VW (-3.7%), Daimler Truck Holding...
The Hang Seng rose 95 points or 0.4% to end at 23,579 on Thursday, marking its second straight session of gains. Sentiment strengthened after U.S. President Trump suggested he may cut tariffs on China to facilitate the sale of TikTok by its owner, ByteDance. A slight drop of 0.3% yoy in Chinese industrial profits for the first two months of 2025 also provided support after a 3.3% drop in 2024. Most sectors advanced after JPMorgan joined other Wall Street banks in turning more bullish on China, raising its Q4 2025 target for the MSCI China Index to 95, about 7% higher than its prior...
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% to close at 37,780 on Thursday, ending a two-day rally, with automakers leading the decline after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on all imported cars starting next week. Japanese automakers suffered the biggest losses, including Toyota Motor (-2%), Honda Motor (-2.5%), Subaru (-5%), Mazda Motor (-56%), and Nissan Motor (-1.7%). Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned that Japan would not rule out retaliatory action against Trump's auto tariffs. Technology stocks also fell following a tech-led selloff on Wall Street. Sharp declines were...
Hong Kong stocks rose 341 points, or 1.4%, to 23,824 in early trading on Thursday (3/27), extending gains for a second session amid broad gains. Sentiment was boosted after Wall Street banks turned bullish on Chinese stocks. Morgan Stanley raised its 2025 year-end target for mainland stocks for the second time this year, while Goldman Sachs projected further gains driven by positive earnings revisions. A slight 0.3% year-on-year decline in China's industrial profits for the first two months of 2025 also lent support, following a 3.3% decline in 2024 and reinforcing signs that Beijing's...
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....