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...
Wall Street stocks fell on Thursday (October 16th), losing earlier gains as resurgent credit concerns and ongoing US-China trade tensions weighed on sentiment. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 each fell more than 0.7%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 300 points. Financial stocks led the selloff, with regional banks like Zions Bancorporation (-13%) and Western Alliance (-10.8%) plummeting after reporting substantial loan losses. This decline came despite an early-session rally driven by chipmakers after TSMC raised its full-year revenue forecast and reported a nearly 40%...
European stocks rose on Thursday, with the Stoxx 50 rising 0.9% and the Stoxx 600 up 0.6%, led by food and beverage companies. The Stoxx Food & Beverage Index jumped 3.2% after Nestlé announced plans to cut 12,000 white-collar jobs, with an additional 4,000 roles to be eliminated over the next two years. German life sciences company Sartorius rose 9% after reporting a 7.5% rise in revenue and improved profitability for the first nine months of 2025. Nordea Bank shares rose around 3% to a record high, supported by stronger-than-expected loan income, with mortgage and corporate loans up...
US stocks advanced on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones each up 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6%. The move followed a volatile session the day before, as investors focused on corporate earnings and the AI rally regained momentum after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing raised its revenue-growth target. Communication services, technology, and utilities led the gains, while financials underperformed. Among major movers, Nvidia rose 1.4%, Alphabet added 1.5%, Broadcom gained 1.7%, and Micron Technology advanced 2.3%. Charles Schwab was up 0.5% after an earnings beat and...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.27% to close at 48,278 while the broader Topix Index added 0.62% to 3,203 on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session as investors navigated political uncertainty in Japan, while a strong earnings season kept the momentum in stocks. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed holding a vote for a new prime minister on Oct. 21, though opposition parties have yet to agree on the date, keeping the outlook for LDP's Sanae Takaichi unclear. Sentiment was also lifted by a solid start to the earnings season, bolstered by expectations of US rate cuts and...
European stocks fell as investors digested the latest earnings reports and awaited the outcome of a no-confidence vote in France. Nestlé SA jumped 7% as CEO Philipp Navratil accelerated recovery efforts. The Stoxx 600 was little changed at 8:16 a.m. in London. The personal care and food and beverage sectors outperformed, while travel and leisure stocks weakened. Among individual stocks, Nordea Bank Abp rose 3%, to its highest level ever, after the lender announced a series of share buybacks and reported loan revenue that beat analysts' estimates. The European stock rally has faltered in...
Japanese stocks rallied on Thursday (October 16th), driven by easing political uncertainty and positive sentiment in the technology sector. The Nikkei index rose 1.3% to 48,277.74, while the Topix index also gained 0.6% to 3,203.42. SoftBank shares were the biggest supporter of the Topix, rising sharply by 8.6%. Of the 1,672 stocks on the Topix, 879 rose and 711 fell. Political news that boosted the market came from Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling party, who sought opposition support for next week's prime ministerial vote. This revived the previously fading "Takaichi trade." In the...
The Hong Kong stock market posted moderate gains on Thursday (October 16th), with the Hang Seng Index rising 96 points, or 0.37%, to 26,007. This increase occurred despite mixed performance in the technology and financial sectors. Major tech stocks like Tencent and Alibaba rose slightly, while Xiaomi fell more than 2%. In the financial sector, HSBC and AIA weakened, but Ping An Insurance and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange posted gains. Gold-linked stocks were the market's stars, boosted by the continued record-breaking global gold price. Zijin Mining and Zhaojin Mining both rallied, while a...
Asian stock markets opened higher on Thursday morning (October 16th), following a positive close on Wall Street despite volatile trading. Stocks in Japan, Australia, and South Korea rose, while index futures pointed to a weaker opening in Hong Kong. In the US, the S&P 500 index rose 1.2%, then fell, and finally closed up 0.4%. Renewed tensions between the United States and China have again affected market sentiment. US President Donald Trump stated that his country is now "locked in a trade war" with China. However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested a longer pause on import...
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....