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...
European stocks sank on Monday after US President Trump announced tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, but closed above its mid-session lows after the President delayed measures against Mexico slightly before the bell. The STOXX 50 dropped 1.4% to 5,214 and the pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 0.9% to 534. Trump had imposed 25% tariffs on its North American neighbors and 10% levies on China, in addition to pledges of tariffs on the EU and the UK at a future date, after a series of conflicting signals of protectionism by the administration. Auto manufacturers led the losses amid their high...
Stocks dropped to kick off February after President Donald Trump hit several key U.S. trading partners with tariffs, raising fears that a full-blown trade war would disrupt global supply chains, reignite inflation and slow the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded more 458 points lower, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 shed 1.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.8%. The impact from the new tariffs ricocheted around the globe in a risk-off move. President Donald Trump on Saturday slapped a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. He also placed a 10% levy on imports from China. Energy...
Shares in some of Europe's biggest carmakers plunged on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, raising concerns about possible duties on EU imports as well. Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA), which have major operations in Mexico and are particularly vulnerable to tariffs, both fell about 6%, the biggest decliners among their peers. Volvo (OTC:VLVLY) Cars, Mercedes Benz (ETR:MBGn), BMW (ETR:BMWG) and Porsche were all down between 3.4% and 5.2% by 0843 GMT. French auto parts...
The Hang Seng ended nearly flat at 20,217 on the first trading day of February, steadying after a sharp loss in morning deals as gains in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors nearly offset losses in the property and financial sectors. Traders digested a Wall Street Journal report that Beijing is seeking to avoid tariff hikes and technology restrictions from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, China's Commerce Ministry is preparing to file a complaint with the WTO. Although private survey data showed the weakest factory activity growth in four months for China through early...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Monday (2/3), as losses in the Precision Instruments, Real Estate and Food sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 2.69%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506), which rose 16.39% or 100.00 points to trade at 710.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Konami Corp. (TYO:9766) gained 14.14% or 2,025.00 points to close at 16,345.00 and Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:6770) gained 5.04% or 78.50 points to 1,637.50 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were NH Foods Ltd...
Shares in Hong Kong plunged 266 points or 1.3% to 19,959 in early trading at the start of the new month, reversing gains from the prior three sessions as trading resumed after the Lunar New Year holidays amid widespread sector losses. Investors responded to Donald Trump's extensive tariffs on several nations over the weekend, including China. Meanwhile, Beijing announced plans to challenge Trump's move at the WTO and roll out other countermeasures, intensifying fears of a trade dispute between the two countries. Source: Trading Economics
China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly declined for a second straight month in January, underlining the need for Beijing to step up economic stimulus with Donald Trump slapping tariffs on the country's exports. The Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 50.1 from 50.5 in December, according to a statement released by Caixin and S&P Global on Monday. While any reading above 50 indicates an expansion of activity, the figure was well below the median forecast of 50.6 by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The results of the private survey compare with last month's sharp...
The Nikkei 225 Index dropped 2.2% to around 38,700, while the broader Topix Index fell 2% to 2,730 on Monday, reaching their lowest levels in about two weeks. This decline came after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on key US trading partners over the weekend. The US introduced a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada and a 10% levy on imports from China, raising concerns about the potential disruption to global trade. Meanwhile, a summary of opinions from the Bank of Japan's January meeting revealed discussions about possible interest rate hikes due to ongoing...
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....