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...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 closed 0.2% lower on Thursday as investors weighed central bank actions, corporate earnings, and mixed economic data. The ECB kept rates unchanged for a third consecutive meeting, noting that the inflation outlook remains broadly stable, while the Fed cut rates again but cautioned that further easing in December is not guaranteed. On the data front, Eurozone GDP grew 0.2% in Q3, exceeding expectations, though performance across major economies was uneven, with France and Spain posting strong growth, while Germany and Italy stagnated. Among corporates,...
Stocks were lower Thursday as investors digested a batch of Big Tech earnings, while a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 131 points, or 0.3%. The S&P 500 dipped 0.6%. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.8%. Megacap tech giants Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft each reported quarterly results after market close Wednesday. While Alphabet shares popped about 4% on the back of strong results, shares of Meta and Microsoft tumbled about 12% and nearly 2%, respectively. Investors grew worried about the increased...
The Hang Seng Index fell 63 points, or 0.2%, to 26,283 on Thursday (October 30th), reversing early gains and marking its second consecutive session of declines. Sentiment turned cautious despite China's Ministry of Commerce stating that Beijing and Washington had agreed to extend their temporary trade truce for another year following a meeting between US Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea. Traders noted that significant gaps remain, with a partial tariff rollback unlikely to help struggling Chinese exporters or reverse weak domestic consumer demand. Caution also grew ahead of...
European stocks moved mixed on Thursday. Germany's DAX edged higher, while France's CAC 40 and the UK's FTSE 100 fell. The market digested corporate earnings reports, easing global trade tensions, growth data, and awaited the ECB's rate decision, which is expected to remain unchanged. In the US, the Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points and will stop shrinking its balance sheet starting December 1, but Powell's cautious comments left the market uncertain about further cuts in December. On the corporate side, Shell posted a jump in third-quarter 2025 profit to USD 5.3 billion thanks to...
The Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.04% to 51,326, while the Topix index gained 0.69% to 3,301 on Thursday, hitting a new record. The gains came after the Bank of Japan held its benchmark interest rate at 0.5% by a 7-2 vote, with two members (Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata) pushing for a rise to 0.75%. The market remains skeptical about the likelihood of a policy change in December, as the BOJ appears cautious, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is known for her support of loose monetary policy. On the stock front, Advantest hit a new record after raising its profit forecast due to strong...
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.4% to 26,455.74 on Thursday (October 30th), marking a three-week high. The rise was driven by expectations of a deal at the Xi–Trump meeting and positive sentiment after the Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points and the Hong Kong Central Bank (HKMA) followed suit. Meanwhile, Hang Seng Tech edged down 0.1%, while in mainland China, the CSI 300 fell 0.3% and the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.2%. Blue-chip stocks rose: China Hongqiao surged 6.4% to HK$29.44, Zijin Mining rose 3.9% to HK$32.32, Ping An Insurance rose 3.2% to HK$57.90, and HSBC added 2.1% to...
Asian stocks were mixed on Thursday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized that a December interest rate cut was not a certainty. The region's benchmark indexes were virtually unchanged, while US stock futures fluctuated between gains and losses. The 10-year US Treasury yield hovered around 4.07%, adding pressure on riskier assets. Gold briefly edged up after four days of declines. On the issuer side, tech giant earnings results were mixed: Meta fell 7.7% in after-hours trading, Alphabet jumped 6%, and Microsoft weakened. In Asia, Samsung Electronics gained after earnings beat...
Japanese stocks are lower in early trade amid caution ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy meeting outcome due later Thursday. Tech and brokerage stocks are leading the declines. SoftBank Group is down 1.8% and Nomura Holdings is 2.1% lower. USD/JPY is at 152.78, compared with 152.28 as of Wednesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors will be focusing on any progress in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's policy steps as well as the BOJ's assessment of the economy. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.1% at 51265.52. Source: Dow Jones Newswires
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....