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...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday, breaking ranks from Wall Street losses, after the World Bank raised the region's growth forecast Tuesday. That comes after a summer that saw U.S. tariff-led uncertainty rock the global economy. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was little changed, while the the Topix added 0.62%. Australia's ASX/S&P 200 fell 0.3%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 27,165, higher than its Tuesday close of 26,957.77. Mainland China and South Korean markets are closed for the holidays. The Bank of Thailand and Reserve Bank of New Zealand are set...
US stocks retreated from record highs on Tuesday as investors weighed the ongoing government shutdown against hopes for AI-driven growth. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% for the first time in 8 days, the Nasdaq lost 0.8%, and the Dow fell 99 points, pressured by a steep sell-off in Oracle shares after weaker-than-expected cloud margin reports. Tesla slipped 4.4% after unveiling a low-cost Model Y, Ford tumbled 7.6% over a supplier fire, and gold futures surged past $4,000 per ounce as investors sought safe havens. Economically sensitive sectors, including homebuilding, airlines, and transport,...
European stock markets edged mostly lower on Tuesday, as investors kept tabs on ongoing political turbulence in France and the United States that threatened to dampen enthusiasm around artificial intelligence dealmaking. The pan-European Stoxx 600 slipped by 0.2% and the Dax in Germany fell by 0.1%. The FTSE 100 in the United Kingdom and the CAC 40 in France were both mostly flat. The CAC 40 fell sharply on Monday on news of a surprise resignation of the country's new Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu. Two days of last-minute discussions between the outgoing Lecornu and members of several...
The S&P 500 rose slightly on Tuesday as Wall Street looked for more developments out of Washington on the current U.S. government shutdown that is now in its second week. The broad market index climbed 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded around the flatline. Hopes that the government would reopen on Monday were dashed after the Senate for a fifth time failed to pass a House bill that would have funded the government through Nov. 21. The chamber voted mostly along party lines. At least eight Democrats need to join Republicans to meet the...
European stock markets opened largely unchanged. The Stoxx 600 traded flat, but the energy sector was supported by Shell, which rose around 2% after reporting a recovery in its oil and gas trading performance. The CAC 40 was also stable, awaiting political clarity in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron gave outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu 48 hours for final negotiations with parties to prevent the crisis from deepening. On the funding side, French 10-year bonds remained under pressure. Overall, European stocks remained near new highs as they awaited news from France and new catalysts...
Japanese stocks closed Tuesday with mixed results due to profit-taking after a strong rally fueled by stimulus hopes under Sanae Takaichi. The Topix edged up 0.1% to 3,227.91, while the Nikkei was nearly flat at 47,950.88. Of the 1,672 Topix constituents, 803 rose, 796 fell, and 73 were unchanged. According to Anna Wu (VanEck), the market is "just taking a breather" after yesterday's 4.8% surge—a common pattern following event-driven moves. The yen's weakness—holding above 150 per dollar—has provided a boost to exporters, particularly automotive companies. Toyota rose 1.7% and was the...
Japanese stocks rise due to growing hopes that newly elected ruling-party leader Sanae Takaichi will take more aggressive fiscal steps to stimulate the economy. Heavy-industry and real-estate stocks lead gains. IHI rises 5.3% and Sumitomo Realty & Development is 4.6% higher. USD/JPY is at 150.43, compared with 150.13 as of Monday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching any details of Takaichi's policy steps. The Nikkei Stock Average is up 1.1% at 48470.54. Source : Marketwatch
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 extended record closes on Monday, rising 0.4% and 0.8%, fueled by AI-related dealmaking that boosted investor sentiment despite the US government shutdown entering its second week. The Dow Jones slipped 65 points, dragged down by Home Depot and Verizon. AMD surged 23.7% after announcing a multiyear deal to supply AI chips to OpenAI, with an option for the company to acquire up to 10% of AMD, fueling optimism for broader M&A activity. Comerica jumped 13.7% following a $10.9 billion all-stock acquisition agreement with Fifth Third Bancorp. Investors largely...
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....