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 European session on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, opened on a more cautious note. After consecutive rallies and a new record on the STOXX 600 earlier this week, markets are expected to move slightly lower/flat at the opening as investors begin to exercise restraint. The focus now is no longer simply the euphoria of the US-China trade truce, but also its impact on central bank policy and corporate earnings. Market participants await clarity from the Fed (which is expected to cut interest rates again this week), as well as the ECB's decision and the Bank of Japan's direction, while assessing...
The Nikkei 225 closed down around 0.2% on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, after breaking a historic record the previous day, closing above 50,000 for the first time at 50,512.32. Investors appeared to be taking profits after a sharp rally fueled by the euphoria surrounding fiscal stimulus under new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who arrived with promises of large spending, defense support, and signals of close ties with Washington. Selling pressure also emerged as the market awaited Takaichi's face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump in Tokyo before Trump meets with Xi Jinping, which...
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index opened up 75 points, or 0.28 percent, to 26,508 on Tuesday, marking its fourth consecutive day of gains. This increase was driven by the relatively stable financial sector ahead of the major issuers' earnings season. Investors appeared to be entering selectively, not euphorically, but enough to maintain upward momentum. Financial stocks were the main drivers early in the session. HSBC rose 1.1 percent ahead of its earnings release, AIA Group gained 0.9 percent, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing rose 0.4 percent, and China Ping An edged up 0.1 percent. The Hang...
Global stock markets began to catch their breath at the start of Tuesday's Asian session. Japanese and South Korean stock indexes fell from record highs, and Australian stocks also weakened at the open. This came after Wall Street itself closed at an all-time high, with the S&P 500 breaking through the 6,875 area after its best three-day rally since May. Shares of major technology companies also drove the rally, while shares of Chinese companies listed in the US rose around 1.6% on market optimism about US-China relations.Other assets also moved in a mixed manner. The Japanese yen...
Japanese stocks fell slightly after setting a new record the previous day, as investors began to take profits. The Nikkei 225 weakened around 0.3% to 50,383, while the Topix fell 0.5% to 3,308, dragged down by electronics and service sector stocks. After the euphoria surrounding the Nikkei breaking through 50,000 for the first time, market focus now shifts to the meeting between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump in Tokyo. The meeting is expected to discuss defense cooperation and possible Japanese investment in the US—two issues that could be new catalysts for the...
European stocks were slightly higher on Monday as traders look ahead to the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting, more earnings and signs of a rapprochement between Washington and Beijing. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.1% at 3:15 p.m. in London The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index was little changed for the session, while France's CAC 40 was over 0.1% higher, as Germany's DAX gained 0.1% and Italy's FTSE MIB added 1%. Regional markets had ended last week higher as investors reacted to the latest U.S. inflation print, the only federal data to be released during the ongoing government shutdown, and a...
Wall Street's main indexes opened at record highs on Monday, as expectations of a U.S.-China trade truce fueled risk-taking in a week packed with Big Tech earnings and a likely Federal Reserve rate cut. At 09:30 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab rose 315.67 points, or 0.67%, to 47,530.09, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab gained 63.83 points, or 0.92%, to 6,856.09 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab gained 335.24 points, or 1.45%, to 23,544.00. Source: Reuters.com
The Hang Seng jumped 274 points, or 1%, to end at 26,434 on Monday, rising for the third session. A surge in U.S. futures boosted sentiment, amid renewed optimism over a potential U.S.-China trade deal after top officials outlined a framework to ease tensions ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping later this week. Meantime, the U.S. Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by 25bps after consumer prices rose slightly less than expected in September. In fresh data, China's industrial profits grew 3.2% yoy in the first nine months of 2025, much faster than 0.9%, with...
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....