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 S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs on Monday, spurred by optimism about increased mergers and acquisitions activity after two major deals were announced. The broad market S&P 500 gained 0.36% to end the day at 6,740.28, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced 0.71% to finish at 22,941.67. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, fell 63.31 points, or 0.14%, to close at 46,694.97, weighed down by a decline in shares of Sherwin-Williams and Home Depot. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw a boost from AMD jumping almost 24% after the company reached a deal with Sam...
Euro Area Stock MarketEuropean stocks closed mostly lower on Monday as fresh political turmoil in France rekindled concerns of fiscal instability among the Eurozone's largest economies. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 dropped 0.3% to 5,633 and the pan-European STOXX 50 closed flat at 571. Markets were rattled by the resignation of Prime Minister Lecornu as the French parliament remained against spending cuts in the country's budget, just weeks after taking office and a day after President Macron unveiled a new government. French banks and insurers fell sharply as the slide for OATs pressured their...
US stocks were higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 up 0.3%, the Nasdaq gaining 0.5%, and the Dow Jones rising roughly 60 points, as AI-related partnerships continued to support investor sentiment. AMD shares soared more than 30% after the company reached a deal for OpenAI to deploy 6 gigawatts of AMD GPUs over multiple years, with AMD also issuing OpenAI a warrant for up to 160 million shares. Utilities, industrials, and tech were the top performing sectors while consumer staples and real estate lagged. Mega-cap stocks were mixed, with Microsoft (+0.8%), Alphabet (+0.8%), and Tesla...
The Hang Seng fell for the second straight session on Monday, dropping 183 points or 0.7% to finish at 26,958. Trading was subdued due to a cautious mood ahead of a local break in Hong Kong on Tuesday, while mainland markets were still closed for the Golden Week. Sentiment was also weighed by political risks in Europe, following reports of the French Prime Minister's abrupt resignation. The decline was broad-based, led by the tech and consumer sectors, which each dipped around 1%. Notable losers included Galaxy Ent. (-3.1%), Techtronic Inds. (-2.8%), and Trip.com (-2.3%). EV stocks also...
European stocks moved steadily at the start of the week, while the French CAC 40 index fell 0.7%. This decline occurred after President Emmanuel Macron appointed a new cabinet that remained largely unchanged. This decision drew strong criticism from opposition parties and raised market concerns about political stability in France. Pictet Asset Management analyst Christopher Dembik said the market may not be calm for long. He said the future of Macron's government appears uncertain. New elections are possible, although Macron could also delay major changes until his term ends in 2027. In...
The Nikkei 225 index closed up 4.8% to 47,944.76 on Monday (October 6), posting its biggest daily surge since April. The rise was led by heavy industry and electronics stocks, which benefited from expectations of new fiscal stimulus after Sanae Takaichi was named Japan's next Prime Minister. Market sentiment was boosted by hopes that Takaichi's pro-stimulus administration would support economic growth, while the Bank of Japan was expected to delay interest rate hikes. Stocks such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electron recorded significant surges. In addition to domestic...
The political deadlock in Washington has shaken the Hong Kong stock market. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.6% this morning to 26,976.92, driven by concerns about the US government shutdown, which has triggered a flight to safe havens like gold. The pressure was even deeper in the technology sector, with Hang Seng Tech falling 1.5%. Major stocks like SMIC, Kuaishou, Li Auto, and BYD all fell by more than 3%. On the other hand, safe haven stocks shone. Zijin Mining, a giant gold miner, jumped 4% as gold continued to be sought amid US uncertainty. Tencent and Meituan also managed to gain some...
Asian stocks surged to new highs, led by Japan's Nikkei 225, which surged more than 4% following the election of pro-stimulus lawmaker Sanae Takaichi as the next prime minister. This unexpected political shift boosted investor optimism, fueling gains across the region and pushing the MSCI Asia stock index to a record high. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen weakened sharply against the US dollar and the euro, sliding toward the psychologically key 150-dollar level as concerns about a delay in the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike intensified.Gold continued its strong rally, rising above $3,900 an...
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....