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...
Asia-Pacific stock markets opened lower on Friday, following the sluggish sentiment on Wall Street. In Australia, the ASX/S&P 200 fell 0.17%. In Japan, pressure was stronger: the Nikkei 225 fell 1.36% and the Topix fell 1.12%, as the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds rose to 1.94%, its highest level since July 2007. This increase in yields heightened market concerns about potentially higher borrowing costs. In South Korea, the Kospi moved near the flatline, while the Kosdaq weakened 0.25%. In Hong Kong, Hang Seng futures indicated a slightly lower opening at around 25,900,...
Japanese stock markets weakened, with the Nikkei index falling 1.3% to 50,378.09. This pressure arose from concerns that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could soon raise interest rates, coupled with still-strong US labor market data. This sentiment made investors more cautious and tended to reduce positions in risky assets. Electronics and retail stocks were the most heavily sold. Renesas Electronics fell 4.3%, while Aeon Co. fell 2.4%, reflecting concerns that higher borrowing costs could depress consumption and investment. In the foreign exchange market, USD/JPY traded at 155.16, slightly...
The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones Industrial Average ended Thursday (December 4th) relatively flat as investors focused on next week's Federal Reserve decision and weighed mixed US employment signals, which have the market highly anticipating a 25bps interest rate cut. ADP reported a surprise decline of about 32,000 in private sector payrolls, while Challenger reported 71,321 job cuts announced in November, reinforcing expectations of easing despite weekly initial claims falling to about 191,000. Treasury yields edged higher, with the 10-year yield near 4.10%, pressuring...
European stocks closed higher on Thursday (December 2nd), supported by a rebound in shares of major banks and automakers. The Eurozone STOXX 50 and the broader STOXX 600 both rose 0.5%. Inditex jumped 2.6%, extending its gains from the previous session after the conglomerate posted strong results and confirmed its full-year outlook. Similarly, Stellantis rose 3.6%, extending this week's rally to more than 10% after its rating was upgraded by UBS. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen each rose more than 3%, leading the broader auto sector's gains amid a rating upgrade from Bank of America....
Stocks in the US were higher on Thursday, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rising 0.2% and the Dow Jones adding about 80 points, led by gains in financials and communication services. Shares of Meta soared almost 4% after Bloomberg reported executives are considering potential budget cuts as high as 30% for the metaverse group next year. JPMorgan also added more than 1%, Nvidia gained 0.5% and Salesforce was up 0.7% after the company offered a stronger-than-expected revenue forecast. Meanwhile, traders continue to bet the Fed will deliver another rate cut next week. The odds for...
The Hang Seng rose 175 points or 0.7% to close at 25,936 on Thursday, partly rebounding from a steep fall the prior day amid firmer U.S. futures ahead of Friday's PCE index and the Fed's final policy meeting of the year, where a 25bps rate cut is widely expected. Meanwhile, China may keep its 2026 growth target at around 5% as top leaders convene later this month to map out next year's economic agenda. On the corporate front, Country Garden secured shareholder approval for USD 13 billion in convertible bonds as the indebted builder pushes forward with its debt restructuring. CMOC Hong Kong...
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 2.33% to close at 51,028, while the broader Topix Index rose 1.92% to 3,398 on Thursday, with the latter hitting fresh record highs as robot makers and technology shares rallied on renewed investor interest. Fanuc led the advance, surging 13% after the automation company recently announced a partnership with Nvidia to develop industrial robots. Other robotics firms posted strong gains as well, including Yaskawa Electric (11.4%) and Nabtesco (11.3%). Major tech names also climbed, with notable increases in SoftBank Group (9.2%), Lasertec (6.2%) and Disco Corp...
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 2.33% to close at 51,028, while the broader Topix Index rose 1.92% to 3,398 on Thursday, with the latter hitting fresh record highs as robot makers and technology shares rallied on renewed investor interest. Fanuc led the advance, surging 13% after the automation company recently announced a partnership with Nvidia to develop industrial robots. Other robotics firms posted strong gains as well, including Yaskawa Electric (11.4%) and Nabtesco (11.3%). Major tech names also climbed, with notable increases in SoftBank Group (9.2%), Lasertec (6.2%) and Disco Corp...
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....