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 continued their rally for a third day, tracking gains on Wall Street. Indexes in Japan, South Korea, and Australia opened higher after the S&P 500 rose 0.9% and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.6%. Meanwhile, markets also focused on Chinese stocks after Alibaba weakened in US trading following its earnings report. This positive sentiment arose after US consumer confidence data for November fell sharply and retail sales rose only slightly. The data signaled that consumer spending was beginning to slow after several months of strong demand, reinforcing market expectations that...
Japanese stocks rose early in the session as the market remained hopeful that the Fed would cut interest rates, following Wall Street's overnight rally. The electronics and technology sectors were the driving force, with Lasertec shares rising 2.8%, Murata Manufacturing up 2.7%, and SoftBank Group also rebounding, rising 2.3% after earlier weakness. On the currency side, the USD/JPY pair hovered around 156.16, down slightly from 156.74 at the Tokyo market close on Tuesday. Investors also continued to monitor Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic policies to gauge the direction of Japan's...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher on Tuesday (November 25th) after posting another rally, as traders weighed expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut and the state of artificial intelligence trading. The blue-chip index gained 664.18 points, or 1.43%, to close at 47,112.45. The S&P 500 rose 0.91% to close at 6,765.88, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.67% to end at 23,025.59. This marked a reversal from earlier losses. At its session low, the S&P 500 fell about 0.7%, while the tech-heavy Dow Jones and Nasdaq were down more than 100 points, or 0.2%, and...
European stocks advanced on Tuesday as regional markets cemented their positive start to the week. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed the session preliminarily 0.9% higher, with most major bourses and sectors in positive territory at the closing bell in London. The moves come after major U.S. averages rebounded on Monday, driven by strength in the artificial intelligence trade and renewed hopes of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. Asia-Pacific markets also traded higher overnight, boosted by Wall Street's rally. Traders continue to watch for any news that can affect the Fed's upcoming...
The Hang Seng rose 178 points or 0.7% to finish at 25,894 on Tuesday, extending strength for a second session amid broad-based sector advance. Sentiment improved after U.S. President Trump described relations with China as "extremely strong" following a call with Xi Jinping on Monday. Risk appetite was also lifted by a rebound in mainland stocks from a two-month low, following the PBoC's CNY 1 trillion MLF operation today, which resulted in a net liquidity injection of about CNY 100 billion. The tech index gained 1.2%, tracking an overnight rally in U.S.-listed peers as traders downplayed...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.07% to close at 48,659 while the Topix Index lost 0.21% to 3,291 on Tuesday, struggling for clear direction as markets reopened after a holiday-extended weekend. Japanese shares initially followed tech-led gains on Wall Street overnight amid renewed optimism around artificial intelligence and rising hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in December. Technology stocks showed mixed performances locally, with gains from Advantest (4.2%) and Tokyo Electron (3.1%), while sharp losses were record in SoftBank Group (-10%)a nd Disco Corp (-2.7%). Meanwhile,...
Stocks in Europe edged higher on Tuesday, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 gaining nearly 0.2%, extending the modest advance from the previous session. Rising expectations of a Fed rate cut next month continued to support investor sentiment. Banks were among the strongest performers, with Barclays up 3.1%, Societe Generale rising 1.8%, and Commerzbank gaining 0.8%. ABN AMRO jumped more than 4% after announcing plans to cut 5,200 jobs by 2028 as part of an effort to streamline operations and reduce costs. The tech sector also advanced, supported by gains in ASML Holding (1.3%) and...
The Hong Kong stock market opened higher on Tuesday morning, November 25, 2025. The Hang Seng Index rose around 0.9%, or 232 points, to 25,948.9 at the open, continuing its rally after previously gaining nearly 2% to 25,717 on Monday. Positive sentiment was supported by a rebound in global markets and growing confidence that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its December meeting, boosting risk appetite in Asian stock markets, including Hong Kong. Riskier stocks, particularly technology and cyclical sectors, regained interest after sharp selling pressure in recent weeks. In...
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....