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...
Hong Kong shares rose 65 points, or 0.3%, to 23,404 in early trade on Wednesday, trying to bounce back from a near two-week low hit the previous day. Gains were led by the technology, consumer discretionary and property sectors, with traders reacting positively to trade data showing the city's exports and imports rose at the fastest pace in 13 months. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures edged higher after Wall Street posted modest overnight gains ahead of President Trump's April 2 tariff deadline. In China, Morgan Stanley raised its outlook on mainland stocks for the second time in just over a...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.7% to surpass 38,000, while the Topix Index added 0.6% to 2,814 on Wednesday, marking their second consecutive session of gains. Japanese stocks followed a strong Wall Street lead overnight, buoyed by hopes of a less aggressive stance on Trump's reciprocal tariffs. Meanwhile, investors continued to analyze the Bank of Japan's monetary policy outlook, after minutes from the January meeting suggested that policymakers remain open to further interest rate hikes. Consumer stocks led the advance, with strong gains from Nintendo (5.3%), Sony Group (2.9%), and Fast...
Asia-Pacific markets opened higher on Wednesday, tracking gains on Wall Street on expectations that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs could be softer than previously expected. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 opened 0.71% higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.63% at the open, while the Topix gained 0.39%. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.38% while the small-cap Kosdaq traded 0.28% lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures were at 23,478, also higher than the HSI's last close of 23,344.25. The White House's planned tariffs set for April 2 are expected to be limited in scope, according to reports...
The S&P 500 posted a slim gain on Tuesday as investors built on the previous session's gains, which were largely sparked by hopes of U.S. tariffs being narrower in scope. The broad market index added 0.16% to close at 5,776.65, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.46% and ended at 18,271.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average crept higher by 4.18 points, or 0.01%, to settle at 42,587.50. Investors largely looked past the March consumer confidence data released Tuesday, which reflected a significant drop in U.S. consumers' near-term outlook on income, business, and job conditions. The...
European markets closed higher on Tuesday as investors continued to assess the scope and breadth of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade tariffs. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.67% higher, with most sectors and all major bourses in positive territory.Germany's DAX led regional gains, up 1.13%, after a survey showed improved business sentiment in the conuntry. German biotech firm Bayer rose more than 5%, recovering from a 7% loss in the previous session after announcing over the weekend that it had been ordered by a U.S. court to pay $2.1 billion in damages relating to its Roundup...
U.S. stocks edged higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq up 0.1% to fresh two-week highs, and the Dow adding 70 points, fueled by hopes that the Trump administration might soften some of its proposed tariff plans. President Trump announced that not all threatened tariffs would take effect on April 2nd, with some countries possibly receiving exemptions, though new levies on autos, pharmaceuticals, and a 25% tariff on crude from Venezuela were signaled. Meanwhile, Fed Governor Kugler acknowledged that monetary policy remains restrictive but noted that progress toward the 2%...
The STOXX 50 rose 0.5%, while the STOXX 600 gained 0.4% on Tuesday, rebounding from a subdued session the day before, as traders closely monitored US trade policy developments. President Donald Trump stated that not all of the proposed tariffs set for April 2 would be implemented and that some countries might receive exemptions. However, he also signaled plans to impose new tariffs on autos and pharmaceuticals soon. Meanwhile, investors await the release of Germany's Ifo Business Climate indicator later today for further insights into economic sentiment. On the corporate front, banks and...
The Hang Seng slumped 561 points or 2.4% to end at an almost 2-week low of 23,344 on Tuesday, reversing gains from a day earlier amid broad-based losses. Traders booked profits ahead of quarter-end, as earnings reports and Beijing's latest stimulus had largely been priced in. The tech index tumbled 3.8%, with Xiaomi sinking 6.1% after planning to raise up to $5.27 billion through a share sale. Alibaba fell almost 4% after warning of rising data center costs, while Sunny Optical plunged 9.9% on concerns over a capacity glut. Consumer and financial stocks also declined, bucking a broader...
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....