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 stock markets opened lower as escalating tensions with China weighed on retail and tourism-related stocks. The Topix index fell 0.8% to 3,333.98, while the Nikkei weakened 0.9% to 49,942.24 at the start of trading in Tokyo. The decline was triggered by China's warning to students seeking to study in Japan of increased risks to their citizens, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan sparked diplomatic friction. This sentiment immediately hit stocks that rely on tourist arrivals and spending from China. Market analysts said the current Japan-China tensions are...
US stocks recovered from sharp early losses on Friday (November 14th), but closed flat to lower as investors bought back major technology stocks and reassessed the likelihood of a December interest rate cut. This left the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 largely stagnant, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 280 points lower. Nvidia, Microsoft, Oracle, and Palantir each rose between 1.1% and 2.4%, reversing some of Thursday's sharp declines in tech stocks. Meanwhile, defensive stocks lagged, with United Healthcare down 3.2% and Home Depot down 1.6%. Stock movements remained uneven, with...
US stocks moved lower on Friday, with the S&P 500 down 1% and the Nasdaq falling 1.6%, both hitting one-month lows, while the Dow Jones dropped about 400 points. The tech sector remained under heavy pressure as investors grew increasingly concerned about stretched valuations in AI-related stocks and the risk of a bubble. Concerns also mounted that the Fed may hesitate to cut rates next month, after several policymakers expressed skepticism about the need for another reduction. Market odds of a 25 bps cut in December have fallen to just below 50%, down from nearly 65% earlier in the...
The Hang Seng plunged 500 points or 1.9% to end at 26,572 on Friday, its sharpest one-day drop since mid-October, snapping a four-session gain. The slump followed a tumble on Wall Street Thursday as hopes for a U.S. rate cut next month faded. Sentiment was further rattled by comments from China's statistics agency, which warned of persistent external risks and domestic restructuring pressures. Fresh data showed China's factory output and retail sales rising at their weakest in 14 months in October, and fixed investment fell 1.7% in the first 10 months, the sharpest drop on record for the...
Japanese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index down 1.76% at the end of the session. Selling pressure primarily came from the paper & pulp, transportation, and communications sectors, which all weakened, dragging the index into the red. Overall, sentiment in the Tokyo market tended to be defensive, with more investors opting to reduce risk ahead of the weekend. Despite the steep decline in the index, several stocks performed remarkably well. Toppan Printing Co. was the star of the day, surging nearly 14% to 4,244 yen per share. Tokyo Tatemono also stole the spotlight,...
The Hong Kong stock market opened sharply lower on Friday, immediately breaking its four-day uptrend. The Hang Seng Index fell 412 points, or around 1.52 percent, to 26,660. The greatest pressure came from technology stocks, with Hang Seng Tech plunging 2.22 percent to 5,848. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index also suffered, falling 1.66 percent to 9,439 points. The overall picture is clear: since the opening, sentiment on the stock exchange has been heavily selling. Sectorally, technology was the focus of selling pressure following the release of earnings reports. Tencent fell around...
Nikkei Turun 1,7% Akibat Tekanan Logam dan Saham Terkait Chip Japanese stocks are lower in early trade after U.S. technology shares fell sharply overnight. Metals and chip-related stocks are leading the declines. JX Advanced Metals is down 4.6%, Tokyo Electron is 4.9% lower and SoftBank Group is down 7.3%. USD/JPY is at 154.72, compared with 154.95 as of Thursday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching corporate earnings and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's policy steps to support the economy. Toray Industries and Dai-ichi Life Holdings are set to announce their quarterly...
Gauges in Japan, South Korea and Australia all opened weaker, even as an index of the region was poised for its third gain in four weeks. The S&P 500 closed 1.7% lower while the Nasdaq 100 declined 2.1% Thursday. Attention was also on the pound Friday, which fell after the Financial Times said UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves was ditching a planned income tax rise. The dollar, gold and Treasuries all held their losses as investors parsed commentary from Fed officials that cast doubt over a December rate cut. Also, the...
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....