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...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.14% to close at 49,865 on Wednesday, recovering losses from earlier in the week and tracking gains on Wall Street. This rise was driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again, boosting investor risk appetite. However, Japanese market participants remained cautious amid speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates this month. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the central bank is still weighing the positive and negative impacts before making a decision. The technology sector was the driving force behind the...
Shares in Hong Kong dipped 273 points, or 1.0%, to 25,826 in early Wednesday trade, reversing gains from the prior two sessions amid steep, broad-based losses across sectors. Traders were nervous ahead of key policy events in China, including the annual Central Economic Work Conference and the December Politburo meeting. Fresh private survey data also pressured sentiment, as China's services sector grew the least in five months during November, highlighting weakening economic momentum despite Beijing's efforts to boost activity. An extended decline in mainland markets also added to the...
Asia Pacific stock markets opened quietly on Wednesday morning, with investors awaiting the release of key economic data from the United States and signals on interest rate policy from the Federal Reserve. Major indices moved steadily after several days of volatility, indicating market caution ahead of the US central bank meeting. In Japan, the yen strengthened slightly against the US dollar on speculation of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Hong Kong stock markets opened flat, with investors monitoring global developments and geopolitical situations that continue to...
The Nikkei index has the potential to rise in today's trading after Wall Street rallied overnight. Nikkei futures on the SGX rose around 0.6% to 49,590, signaling a fairly positive start. On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed nearly flat at 49,303.45, so the market is still waiting for a new trigger for a clearer move. On the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair was at 155.83, slightly higher than the Tokyo stock market's closing position on Tuesday of 155.78. This slight weakening of the yen against the dollar typically benefits Japanese exporters, as their dollar earnings appear higher when...
US stocks rebounded on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.9%, and the Dow Jones up 200 points as the market pared earlier losses and rebounded after Monday's sharp sell-off. Bitcoin's rebound supported risk appetite, while complex AI and software helped stabilize sentiment, with Nvidia up 0.9% and Palantir up 1.9%, although Broadcom fell 1.2% amid profit-taking. The gains were driven less by a string of big tech stocks than previously, but more by a string of high-flying stocks, including Boeing, which surged about 10.2%, Intel, which rose nearly 8.7%, and AppLovin,...
US stocks were higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.7%, and the Dow Jones adding about 20 points, attempting to rebound from Monday's losses. The risk-off mood that dominated the previous session eased, helped in part by a rebound in the Japanese bond market. Traders are also awaiting a series of economic releases due this week, including the September PCE report, ahead of next week's FOMC meeting, where the Fed is widely expected to cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps. Market pricing places the odds of such a move at around 87%. The tech sector booked the...
European stocks traded in mixed territory on Tuesday, with shares struggling to find momentum after a broad sell-off marked the first day of the new month. Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered just above the flatline, with no consensus movement seen among sectors and major bourses. Regional stocks traded lower on Monday, marking a gloomy start to the last trading month of the year in which investors are now expecting the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates when it meets on Dec. 9-10. Traders are pricing in an 87.2% chance of a quarter-point rate cut,...
The Hang Seng edged up 62 points, or 0.2%, to close at 26,095 on Tuesday, reversing prior-session losses amid gains in consumer stocks. Traders awaited insights from China's annual Central Economic Work Conference and the December Politburo meeting, while seeking opportunities in undervalued sectors. Locally, Hong Kong retail sales rose the most since late 2023 in October, marking a fourth straight monthly gain on the back of steady visitor arrivals. Early gains were trimmed as mainland markets fell, amid caution ahead of Wednesday's private Composite and Services PMIs. On the corporate...
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....