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's three major indexes managed to close Tuesday's choppy session higher, marking quarterly and monthly gains, even as investors braced for a U.S. government shutdown, which would delay key economic reports and muddy the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy outlook. With investors having bet for some time on a spate of further Fed rate cuts, the benchmark S&P 500, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow all gained for the second quarter in a row. For the S&P 500 and the Dow, it also marked their fifth straight monthly gain while the Nasdaq registered its sixth straight monthly...
European shares reversed their earlier declines to close slightly higher on Tuesday, with energy stocks limiting broader gains, while investors weighed the potential impact of a U.S. government shutdown on financial markets. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.5% higher, in its third consecutive session of gains. The index logged a quarterly rise and a third month in positive territory, its best showing since May. London's FTSE 100 hit an intraday record high. Most sectors were on the rise, with media stocks gaining 1.2% and retail up 1.1%. Industrial and healthcare stocks provided the...
US stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with the three major indexes hovering around the flatline as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a potential government shutdown that could disrupt the release of key labor data later this week. The government faces the risk of shutting down tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans fail to reach a deal today, putting Friday's payrolls report at risk. Traders also awaited the JOLTS job openings data due later in the day. Energy and communication services were the worst performing sectors while utilities outperformed. Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon...
The Hang Seng climbed 233 points, or 0.9%, to close at 26,855 on Tuesday, reversing early losses to hit a two-week high on broad-based gains. The index jumped 7% in September, its fifth straight monthly advance, and posted a third quarterly gain of 11.6%, fueled by AI optimism, strong inflows, and bets of fresh policy support from Beijing ahead of the October plenum. Still, upside was capped by U.S. political uncertainty, with Vice President Vance warning the government was "headed to a shutdown" amid stalled budget talks. Profit-taking also weighed as traders braced for China's week-long...
European stocks were set to wrap up September with the best performance since 2019, as optimism around resilient US economic growth and lower interest rates lifted risk appetite. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was little changed by 8:17 a.m. in London. The gauge has gained nearly 1% in September during a typically weak seasonal period. Financial services and media sectors outperformed, while energy and chemicals shares were the biggest laggards. In individual stocks, Asos Plc dropped 10% as it warned full-year earnings would be at the lower end of expectations as the online fast...
Japanese shares closed lower on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan signaled room for future rate hikes but gave no clear sign of an October move. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.25%, or 111.12 points, to end at 44,932.63. One BOJ board member said it may be time to raise rates, while others urged caution given uncertainty over the US economy, a Sept. 18-19 meeting summary showed. The record signaled growing support for another hike amid high inflation, though most members preferred waiting for more data. Two dissents against holding rates stoked October hike bets, but the summary stopped short of...
Hong Kong stocks opened higher on Tuesday, following Wall Street's rally, amid hopes of fresh stimulus after a report showed China's manufacturing activity remained weak. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.4% to 26,736.44, while Hang Seng Tech added 1%. Technology and e-commerce stocks led the gains, with Alibaba surging nearly 2%, JD.com rising 0.8%, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International surging 3.7%. Meanwhile, Baidu and Trip.com shares weakened, while New Oriental plunged nearly 2%. Official data showed China's manufacturing PMI in September stood at 49.8, marking the sixth consecutive...
Japanese stocks are lower due to a stronger yen and uncertainty over the impact of U.S. tariffs on corporate earnings. Auto, shipping and energy stocks lead declines. Mitsubishi Motors is down 2.1% and Kawasaki Kisen is 2.0% lower. Inpex is down 3.1% after crude oil prices fell overnight. USD/JPY is at 148.58, down from 148.81 as of Monday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching any developments related to the leadership election for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan set for Saturday. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.1% at 45007.00. Source: Bloomberg.com
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....