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...
European stock markets closed mostly lower in Wednesday trading as The Stoxx Europe was off 0.15%, Germany's DAX declined 0.71%, France's CAC lost 0.63%, and the Swiss Market Index was down 0.07%, while the FTSE in London rose 0.93%. Annual inflation in the UK remained unchanged at 3.8% in September, according to the Office for National Statistics, which was below analyst forecasts of 4.0%, according to Bloomberg. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, rose by 3.5% annually in September, down from 3.6% in August. Analysts expected core inflation to increase by...
European stocks fell after a sluggish session on Wall Street, weighed down by disappointing results from L'Oréal SA and Hermes International SCA. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.3% as of 8:17 a.m. in London. The technology sector fell 1.2% after Texas Instruments Inc. provided a weaker-than-expected outlook, adding to concerns that the semiconductor industry's recovery is faltering. Meanwhile, mining and energy stocks led gains. Britain's FTSE 100 Index outperformed, rising 0.5%, as easing inflation reinforced expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in the coming months....
The Nikkei 225 closed nearly flat on Wednesday (October 22nd), hovering around 49,308 (-0.02%), after a rally to its previous record triggered profit-taking—particularly in technology stocks—leading to volatile movement throughout the session. This "flat" closing tone aligns with the weakening technology sector in Asia following Wall Street's sluggish performance. On the sentiment side, the market weighed news that new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is preparing a large stimulus package—a factor that temporarily curbed intraday declines—as well as data showing Japanese exports rose 4.2%...
The Hang Seng Index fell 0.7% to 25,842.83 as of 10:00 a.m. local time, following a pause in Wall Street's rally as the S&P 500 stalled and the Nasdaq slipped 0.2%. Pressure came from tech stocks: NetEase slumped 3.3% to HK$232.40, Alibaba fell 2.3% to HK$161.30, and Baidu retreated 2% to HK$115. Precious metals stocks also took a hit—Zijin Mining fell 5.6% to HK$30.58 and jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook fell 4.3% to HK$15.91—as gold held below US$4,100/oz after a sharp correction and silver weakened 7.9% to US$48.54. Index losses were limited by Pop Mart International's 4.5% surge to...
Asian stock markets fell on Wednesday, as investors digested Japanese trade data and the formation of a new government in Tokyo. Japanese exports rose 4.2% year-on-year in September—breaking a four-month decline—but still below expectations of 4.6%. The rise in Asia helped offset weakening shipments to the US.The cabinet of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was officially sworn in. Shinjiro Koizumi was appointed defense minister, while Satsuki Katayama became Japan's first female finance minister. Market sentiment remains cautious amid this political transition.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell...
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.7% at 48988.23, dragged by chip and metals stocks, as profit-taking kicks in following their recent surge. SoftBank Group is down 8.3%, Advantest is 2.8% lower while Sumitomo Metal Mining is down 5.3% and JX Advanced Metals is 4.5% lower. Meanwhile, auto stocks are higher thanks to a weaker yen and hopes for lower taxes on gas in Japan. Toyota Motor is up 4.2% and Honda Motor is 3.6% higher. The broader market index Topix is up 0.2% at 3255.47. USD/JPY is at 151.63, compared with 151.57 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing...
US stocks closed higher for the third straight session as a strong start to earnings overcame lingering US-China trade uncertainty. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 240 points to a record high, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index closed slightly higher as a string of results that beat expectations boosted gains. General Motors jumped 16% after raising its forecast, Coca-Cola gained 3.8% on steady beverage demand and benefits from an Indian bottling deal, and 3M rose 6.3% after beating estimates. Defense and aerospace stocks outperformed, with GE Aerospace rising 1.3% and...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Tuesday, extending their record-breaking run, supported by further gains from defense, aerospace, and luxury brands. The Eurozone STOXX 50 gained 0.2% to 5,691, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.3% to 574. Hermès jumped 1.5%, extending its recent strong momentum to an 11% surge in the last five sessions amid expectations of improved margins for luxury brands. Ferrari and LVMH also rose more than 0.7%. Meanwhile, Airbus and Safran each rose nearly 2%, tracking gains in the global aviation sector as GE Aerospace posted strong third-quarter...
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....