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...
Asian markets opened higher, following a global rally that pushed world indexes to new records, despite the US entering its first government shutdown in nearly seven years. Japan, South Korea, and Australia all traded in positive territory, with the chip and technology sectors providing key support. In Seoul, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surged after signing initial supply deals for OpenAI's "Stargate" project. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq 100 added 0.5%, helping lift the MSCI global benchmark index to a new high. In the bond market, Treasuries maintained...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.0% to 44,990.71 in early trading, following a record-breaking rally on Wall Street overnight. The market appeared calm despite ongoing concerns about the US government shutdown. The gains were led by pharmaceutical and chip stocks. Chugai Pharmaceutical rose 3.2%, while Lasertec gained 4.4%, amid positive sentiment in the healthcare and technology sectors. On the currency market, USD/JPY was at 147.24, virtually unchanged from 147.34 at the close in Tokyo on Wednesday. The stable rupiah/yen helped maintain interest in export-oriented stocks. Looking ahead,...
Wall Street's indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong sector performance and optimism that the US government shutdown will be brief. Investors shrugged off the first day of the shutdown and weaker-than-expected private payrolls data, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5%, and the Dow adding 43 points. Health-care stocks led the advance, driven by sharp gains in Regeneron (+6.7%), Moderna (+6.8%), Eli Lilly (+8.2%), and AbbVie (+5.5%), while optimism over Pfizer's (+2.2%) deal with the White House on Medicaid drug pricing provided additional...
Europe's STOXX 600 closed at a record high on Wednesday, with healthcare stocks leading the way after a U.S.-Pfizer deal reduced uncertainty in the sector, while investors digested the beginning of a U.S. government shutdown. The pan-European STOXX 600 surged 1.2% to log its biggest one-day percentage gain since July 23. Most regional bourses were also trading higher, with London's FTSE 100 at a record high. Healthcare stocks jumped 5.4%, marking their biggest one-day performance since November 2008. On Tuesday, Pfizer agreed to lower prescription drug prices in the U.S. Medicaid programme...
European shares were flat on Wednesday, with gains in heavyweight healthcare stocks offsetting the decline in the broader market, as investors fretted over a potential delay in the closely-watched U.S. jobs data. The pan-European STOXX 600 held steady at 557.9 points by 0711 GMT, after posting its third successive monthly gain in September. Local bourses were mixed. Germany's DAX was down 0.5%, while the UK's FTSE 100 climbed 0.2% to an all-time high. Healthcare stocks jumped 2.7% after Pfizer and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said they had cut a deal in which the drugmaker...
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.85% to 44,551 while the broader Topix dropped 1.37% to 3,095 on Wednesday, extending this week's declines as investors digested mixed economic signals. Business sentiment among large manufacturers improved in Q3 to its highest level since Q4 2024, though US tariff pressures continued to cloud the outlook. Meanwhile, weak readings in retail sales and industrial production highlighted persistent economic headwinds. Sentiment was further dampened by the US government shutdown after lawmakers failed to agree on a temporary funding deal, raising concerns over its duration...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle over details of a second temporary spending bill. Investors in Asia will look toward the Reserve Bank of India's rate decision late Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 sunk 0.2% at its open, while the broad based Topix was down 0.85%. In South Korea, the blue-chip Kospi was up 0.94%, and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.84%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.32% in early trade. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a...
Japanese stocks fall as uncertainty over a U.S. government shutdown and the impact of tariffs on earnings persists. Financial stocks lead declines. Dai-ichi Life Holdings declines 2.5% and Mizuho Financial Group is 1.9% lower. USD/JPY is at 148.13, compared with 148.19 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on any developments related to a potential U.S. government shutdown as well as the leadership election for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.3% at 44802.93. Source: Dow Jones Newswires
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....