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 index opened up around 0.7% to 48,976.51 in early trading on Tuesday, following the rebound in technology stocks on Wall Street overnight. The index's gains were led by chip stocks, which are sought after by investors. Kioxia Holdings surged around 11%, while Advantest rose around 5.3%, reflecting strong market interest in the semiconductor sector. In the currency market, USD/JPY traded steady at around 156.85, virtually unchanged from its closing position on Monday. Investors are also monitoring developments in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic policies, which the market...
Asian stocks rallied, following Wall Street's gains, buoyed by confidence that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in December and a rebound in technology stocks. Japanese and South Korean stocks rose, while the index of Chinese companies listed in the US also rallied after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping resumed talks following last month's tariff truce. Dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, and New York Fed President John Williams reignited speculation of an interest rate cut. Currency markets now...
US stocks rallied at the start of the holiday-shortened week, with the S&P 500 rising 1.6%, the Nasdaq surging 2.6%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising more than 300 points as investors grew more confident that the Fed would soon ease policy. New York Fed President John Williams hinted at room for an interest rate cut in the near future, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller said recent labor market weakness makes a December rate cut plausible. According to CME FedWatch, futures markets currently have a roughly 79% probability of a 25-bps rate cut at the December 9-10 meeting....
European stocks recovered in afternoon trading and closed slightly higher on Monday (November 24th), paring losses from the previous week thanks to renewed dovish signals from key FOMC members. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 0.4% to 5,540, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.3% to 564. Technology stocks traded in the bloc closed sharply higher, following sentiment in US stocks that indicated a slight respite from last week's sell-off. Risk-sensitive sectors also benefited from Fed Chairman Waller's support for an interest rate cut next month. ASML rose 3% and Infineon jumped 3.5%, while...
European shares ended higher on Monday, boosted by technology-focused stocks as risk sentiment improved on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut next month, while investors also focused on progress in the Ukraine peace plan. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.31% to 563.83 points at close after the index logged its steepest weekly drop since late July on Friday. The upbeat momentum was led by Wall Street following dovish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve policymaker John Williams on Friday, signalling that interest rates could fall "in the near term". This bolstered the...
US stocks traded higher on Monday as markets kicked off a holiday-shortened Thanksgiving week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, Nasdaq gained 1.2%, and the Dow Jones advanced 120 points, with traders increasing bets on a Fed rate cut next month, following comments from the head of the NY Fed last Friday. The odd for a 25bps reduction in the fed funds rate currently stand at around 65%. Investors are also bracing for a busy week of economic data, including retail sales, durable goods orders, and PPI figures. Communication services and consumer discretionary were by far the top performers while...
European stocks rose Monday, starting the new week on a positive note given renewed optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve can cut interest rates next month. Fed rate cut hopes boost sentiment European stock markets have followed the gains seen in Asia earlier Monday, boosted by comments from influential Federal Reserve policymaker John Williams who said at the end of last week that U.S. interest rates can fall "in the near term". The Fed's next meeting will take place on Dec. 9-10 and markets are currently pricing in a 69.3% chance of a quarter-percentage-point cut, according to the CME...
Hong Kong stocks rebounded strongly in the morning session on Monday (November 24th), rising 266 points or 1% to 25,478 after six consecutive days of declines. This increase occurred as investors began buying low-priced stocks, particularly in the property, financial, and technology sectors. Sentiment was also boosted by strengthening US index futures, after New York Fed President John Williams signaled that interest rates could be cut again this year due to the weakening labor market. Furthermore, Premier Li Qiang's comments on China's critical minerals policy, emphasizing a balance between...
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....