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...
Japanese shares rose on expectations of expansionary fiscal policies even as the country's ruling party is set to hold a leadership contest and find a replacement for outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Sentiment was also upbeat after Wall Street's gains on hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to curb a jobs downturn. The Topix Index rose 0.1% to 3,126.18 as of 9:15 a.m. Tokyo time The Nikkei advanced 0.4% to 43,646.92 SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 6.8%. Out of 1,676 stocks in the index,...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Wednesday ahead of key August inflation data from China. The mainland's August consumer price index is expected to fall 0.2% from the previous year, according to economists polled by Reuters, and compares with July's flat reading. Meanwhile, the producer price index is expected to fall 2.9% year on year, improving from the 3.6% drop in July. Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark opened 0.2% higher, while the Topix index was flat. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 opened flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was set to open higher, with the futures...
All three major indexes closed at record highs Tuesday as investors moved past concerns about the state of the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 index settled up 0.27% at 6,512.61, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.37% to end the day at 21,879.49, with the latter hitting a new all-time intraday high as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 196.39 points, or 0.43%, at 45,711.34, thanks to a surge in UnitedHealth shares. Investor worries that the economy may not be holding up as well as previously thought were exacerbated Tuesday after the Bureau of Labor Statistics updated its...
US stocks edged higher on Tuesday, with the three major averages up around 0.1%, as investors continued to bet on a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. Markets are also awaiting the BLS's preliminary revision to employment levels for the 12 months through March, with most analysts expecting a downward adjustment—pointing to a sharper slowdown in the labor market and bolstering hopes for rate cuts, including a 50 bps move next week. Inflation data will also be in focus this week, with both CPI and PPI reports due. Energy was the top performing sector while materials lagged. On the corporate...
The Hang Seng Index rose 304 points, or 1.2%, to close at 25,938 on Tuesday (September 9), extending its gains for a third session and reaching a four-year high thanks to broad sector strength. Sentiment was boosted amid speculation of a US interest rate cut as early as next week following weak US employment data, alongside Wall Street's gains that pushed the Nasdaq to a record close on Monday. Property stocks led the rally, rising 1.8% after Shenzhen eased restrictions on home purchases. Sentiment was also boosted by reports that China renewed bilateral currency swap agreements with...
European stocks edged higher on Tuesday, extending gains into a second session, with the STOXX 50 up 0.2% and the STOXX 600 advancing 0.5%. Investors weighed a fresh round of corporate news while keeping a close watch on France's deepening political turmoil, after yet another prime minister lost a confidence vote on Monday, which will force President Macron to appoint the country's fifth PM in less than two years. Markets also face a heavy week of economic events, including the ECB's policy decision, US inflation data, and revisions to payrolls. On the corporate front, Novartis (-0.4%)...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.41%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857), which rose 6.45% or 770.00 points to trade at 12,710.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Tokuyama Corp. (TYO:4043) added 6.18% or 216.00 points to end at 3,711.00 and Kanadevia Corp (TYO:7004) was up 3.27% or 34.00 points to 1,075.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co....
Hong Kong stocks jumped 358 points or 1.4% to 25,988 in early deals on Tuesday, rising for the third straight session to their highest level since October 2021 as all sectors advanced. Optimism from Wall Street Monday lifted sentiment ahead of expected Fed rate cuts later this month. Property stocks in Hong Kong led gains, climbing about 2% after Shenzhen city eased home purchase curbs last week. Tech, financials, and consumer shares also rose, supported by a third straight advance in mainland markets as Beijing moves toward a record trade surplus despite August exports hitting a six-month...
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....