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...
Asian stock markets moved up slightly at the start of Wednesday's session, after Wall Street's sluggish overnight close, closing almost flat. Benchmark indexes in Australia and Japan rose slightly, while US stock futures barely moved. Meanwhile, Chinese stocks listed in the US actually fell around 1.4% due to the market's disappointment at the lack of stimulus signals from the Chinese Communist Party leadership meeting. In the bond market, the 10-year US Treasury yield held around 4.18% after a debt auction on Tuesday. The dollar index moved flat, and Bitcoin briefly reversed its initial...
The S&P 500 closed lower Tuesday as Federal Reserve kicked off its two-day meeting, which is expected to culminate in third rate cut for the year. At 4:0 ET p.m. (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 178 points, or 0.4%, and the S&P 500 index was 0.1%, while the NASDAQ Composite slipped 0.1%. Fed meeting kicks off as widely expected rate cut decision loomsThe Fed got its latest two-day policy meeting underway, which investors are expecting will end with a cut to U.S. interest rates on Wednesday. The chances of an easing from Fed's current target rate of 3.75%-4% now...
European stocks closed slightly lower on Tuesday, with the STOXX 50 slipping 0.1% and the broader STOXX 600 finishing near the flat line, as traders refrained from making large moves ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision tomorrow. The US central bank is widely expected to deliver a 25 basis point rate cut, though the 2026 outlook remains uncertain. Shares in Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica declined 5.7% after Warby Parker announced plans to launch AI-powered glasses developed in collaboration with Google, heightening competition in the smartglasses market. Thyssenkrupp...
The Hang Seng Index plunged 331 points, or 1.3%, to close at a two-week low of 25,434 on Tuesday (December 9), extending its decline for a second session amid broad sector weakness. Investors were nervous ahead of the US Fed's decision on Wednesday, with speculation growing that the central bank might make a "hawkish rate cut" amid a divided committee and uncertainty over Powell's successor when his term ends in May 2026. Mainland Chinese stocks also weakened after recent gains as caution grew ahead of China's November CPI and PPI data due on Wednesday, with deflationary risks still in...
European stocks edged higher on Tuesday (December 9th) as global investors awaited the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy update. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.17% at the opening bell. The Fed is widely expected to cut its benchmark interest rate at its final meeting of the year. Currency markets are currently pricing in an 87% chance of a quarter-point rate cut when the central bank concludes its two-day meeting on December 10th, according to the CME FedWatch tool. This move will serve as a benchmark for central banks in Europe, with the Swiss National Bank due to deliver its...
The Nikkei 225 index closed slightly higher by 0.1% at 50,635 on Tuesday, while the Topix index rose a very slight 0.02% to 3,385, after opening lower. The market managed to reverse initial losses thanks to the strengthening of technology stocks, which were the main drivers of the index's movement. Positive sentiment in the global chip sector increased after US President Donald Trump approved a deal allowing Nvidia to resume shipping H200 series AI chips to China. In Japan, technology and chip-related stocks also rose, including SoftBank Group (up 0.8%), Lasertec (up 3.6%), Disco Corp (up...
Hong Kong stocks opened lower on Tuesday, with the Hang Seng Index falling around 196 points, or 0.8%, to 25,565, extending its decline for a second session. Sentiment was weighed down by concerns that the US Federal Reserve might make a "hawkish cut" on Wednesday, lowering interest rates while signaling a possible pause in cuts in January. The benchmark index briefly touched a two-week low as investors cautiously awaited the release of China's November inflation (CPI) and producer price (PPI) data, due on Wednesday. However, selling pressure was somewhat mitigated after China's Politburo...
Asian stocks weakened in Tuesday's trading as market participants began to worry about the direction of the Fed's future policy easing, not just the near-certain interest rate cut this week. The MSCI Asia Index fell around 0.2%, with Korean, Japanese, and Australian markets opening lower. Meanwhile, US stock futures actually gained slightly after the S&P 500 fell 0.3% on Monday and US bond yields rose, in line with the decline in global bond prices. Australian bond yields also rose ahead of the local central bank's interest rate decision. The main market focus is the Fed's decision on...
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....