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 opened mostly higher Friday, tracking Wall Street gains as investors shrugged off the U.S. government shutdown. Investors are waiting to see how long the shutdown will last to assess the gravity of its economic repercussions. Historically, government shutdowns in the U.S. have not been market-moving events. Japan's September unemployment rate rose to 2.6%, government data showed Friday, higher than the 2.4% expected by economists polled by Reuters. The latest reading compared with the 2.3% unemployment rate in August. The country's September manufacturing purchasing...
Japanese stocks are expected to move higher on Friday, following Wall Street's record-breaking rally, fueled by OpenAI's latest funding and eye-catching valuations. Nikkei futures on SGX rose 35 points to 45,050, signaling a positive opening. In the currency market, USD/JPY was at 147.14 (vs. 147.26 late Thursday in New York), indicating a relatively stable yen. The stable exchange rate is boosting sentiment in export-oriented stocks. Investors will also be keeping an eye on Saturday's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election, which could potentially influence domestic...
The Nasdaq marked a record closing high on Thursday with support from the technology sector while the benchmark S&P 500 barely managed to notch a record close as investors cautiously monitored private labor market data in the second day of a U.S. government shutdown. The benchmark index's valuation was around its highest level since 2020, with help from heavyweight technology companies including AI chip leader Nvidia and Broadcom. With no official government data available because of the shutdown, investors were monitoring information from other sources. A report from global...
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Nasdaq gained 0.6% and the Dow Jones hovered near the flatline. Investors kept a cautious eye on the ongoing US government shutdown, though markets largely shrugged off concerns, awaiting further developments and hoping the stalemate proves short-lived. Technology led sector gains after OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in a share sale valuing the company at $500 billion and announced an agreement with South Korean chipmakers. Industrials, energy and consumer discretionary stocks also advanced, while real estate lagged. Among...
The Hang Seng Index rose for the third day, climbing 1.6%, or 431.56 to 27,287.12 in Hong Kong. The index advanced to the highest closing level in at least a year. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.5%. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. had the largest increase, rising 12.7%. Today, 60 of 88 shares rose, while 25 fell; 3 of 4 sectors were higher, led by commerce and industry stocks. Source: Bloomberg.com
European stocks were on Thursday, with the STOXX 50 up 1% and the STOXX 600 gaining 0.6%, extending the previous session's rally that drove both benchmarks to fresh record closes. Technology shares were among the top performers, buoyed by momentum in Asia following OpenAI's agreement with South Korean chipmakers. Pharma stocks also extended gains after a relief rally in the prior session, amid signs that US President Trump's threatened tariffs on branded drugs may be less severe than feared after Pfizer struck a deal with the administration to offer discounted prescriptions through a new...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.87% to close at 44,937 on Thursday, snapping a four-day losing streak and tracking strong gains on Wall Street, with chip-related stocks driving the rebound. Despite concerns over the US government shutdown, equities were supported by robust capital spending and expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts. Regional sentiment also improved after OpenAI struck a deal with South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to supply memory chips, reinforcing optimism around artificial intelligence. Among the standouts, chipmaking equipment maker Tokyo...
Hong Kong's stock market rebounded after a one-day hiatus. Signs of stabilization in the property sector and gains in technology stocks boosted positive sentiment. As of 9:55 a.m. local time, the Hang Seng Index rose 1.3% to 27,191.99, and Hang Seng Tech rose 2.2%. Tech stocks led the way: Kuaishou surged 8%, Baidu and Alibaba both rose 3.7%, JD.com rose 2.5%, Tencent added 2.1%, Meituan 1.8%, and Xiaomi 1.9% after reporting deliveries of over 40,000 cars in September. Meanwhile, Trip.com fell 1.9%, Pop Mart 1.5%, Li Auto 0.7%, and Anta Sports 1.2%. Mainland Chinese markets were closed...
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....