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...
Japanese stocks edged higher after the close on Thursday (1/30), as gains in the Communications, Electrical/Machinery and Manufacturing sectors helped stocks advance. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.03%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were CyberAgent Inc (TYO:4751), which rose 4.94% or 56.00 points to close at 1,190.00. Meanwhile, DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432) gained 4.33% or 117.00 points to close at 2,820.00 and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506) gained 3.66% or 21.00 points to close at 594.00. The worst performers on the session were Japan Exchange Group Inc...
The Nikkei 225 Index slipped 0.1% to just below 39,400, while the broader Topix Index dropped 0.2% to 2,770 on Thursday, paring gains from the previous session. The declines mirrored losses on Wall Street overnight, following the Federal Reserve's decision to pause its rate-cutting cycle and its acknowledgment that inflation remains "somewhat elevated." Investor sentiment was also impacted by mixed earnings from major US tech companies, including Tesla, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. Notable losses were seen in companies such as Sumitomo Mitsui (-1.3%), SoftBank Group (-1%), Keyence...
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates at the current target range of 4.25% to 4.50% at the conclusion of its January meeting, but policymakers warned that inflation remains "somewhat elevated." The pause comes after the central bank cut rates three consecutive times to end 2024.At his press conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that the central bank is in no hurry to adjust its policy stance, particularly as the economy remains strong.There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to the potential effects of tariffs, according to Fed Chair Powell."The range of...
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave monetary policy settings unchanged following the January meeting.Fed Chairman Powell's presser could provide important clues about the rate outlook.The US Dollar could come under bearish pressure if the Fed leaves a rate cut in March on the table. The United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce monetary policy decisions following the first policy meeting of the year on Wednesday. Market participants widely anticipate that the US central bank will leave monetary policy settings unchanged after cutting the interest rate by 25 basis...
European stocks closed firmly higher on Wednesday, extending the rebound from the prior session as markets assessed a batch of major earnings and the risks to European growth should US President Trump follow through with earlier tariff threats. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 closed 0.6% higher at 6,337, the highest in over 24 years, while the STOXX 600 gained 0.5% to close at another record high of 534. ASML jumped by 5.8% after its fourth-quarter bookings exceeded estimates. Tech shares led the gains to extend the recovery from the selloff in AI-infrastructure stocks on Monday, with Schneider...
European stocks hit record highs on Wednesday (29/1), as chip equipment maker ASML (ASML) led tech shares higher after reporting strong quarterly results. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.5%, as of 0923 GMT, surpassing Tuesday's all-time closing high. ASML shares jumped 11.2% after the Dutch company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter orders of 7.09 billion euros ($7.39 billion). ASML's earnings also reassured investors that the outlook for AI chips remains healthy, as they recovered from a selloff earlier this week triggered by the release of China's DeepSeek model, which...
Japanese stocks rose after the close on Wednesday (1/29), as gains in the Services, Transportation Equipment and Transportation sectors boosted shares. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 1.02%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Renesas Electronics Corp (TYO:6723), which rose 5.85% or 119.50 points to close at 2,162.50. Meanwhile, Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (TYO:7735) rose 4.61% or 470.00 points to close at 10,675.00 and Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) gained 4.36% or 356.00 points to close at 8,518.00. The worst performers of the session were Shin-Etsu Chemical Co.,...
Japanese stocks rebounded on Wednesday, with the Nikkei 225 Index climbing 1% to around 39,400 and the broader Topix Index rising 0.4% to 2,768, recovering from losses in the previous session when technology stocks faced a selloff. The decline on Tuesday was driven by concerns over the emergence of Chinese startup DeepSeek, which posed a challenge to the dominance of Western artificial intelligence leaders. Meanwhile, minutes from the Bank of Japan's December meeting revealed that the central bank maintained a cautious stance on monetary policy, emphasizing that any adjustments would...
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....