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 stocks headed for a four-day advance as bets that the Federal Reserve will cut rates drove US shares close to all-time highs. Topix Index rose 0.5% to 3,152.35 as of 9:30 a.m. Tokyo time Nikkei 225 advanced 0.9% to 44,046.88 Buying increased in export-related sectors like electronics and machinery, as well as materials stocks. Domestic demand-related shares, benefiting from improving local conditions and policy tailwinds, were also broadly firm. Sentiment remained stable after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's decision to step down spurred speculation a new...
Asian stocks rose on Tuesday as positive sentiment on Wall Street ahead of an expected Fed rate cut spilled over into regional trading. Equities in Japan and South Korea rose in morning trading, while Australian equities declined. This followed a surge in bets for a US central bank rate cut, pushing stocks near record highs amid hopes that looser policy would strengthen the American corporate sector. The S&P 500 rebounded on Monday after a sell-off in the previous session on a weak jobs report. Although upcoming data is projected to... "After last week's lackluster jobs numbers, it...
Wall Street kicked off the week with gains on Monday as investors positioned ahead of a data-heavy week that includes two key inflation reports likely to influence Federal Reserve policy expectations. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Nasdaq 100 gained nearly 0.5% to approach its August record high on strength in chipmakers, and the Dow Jones advanced 114 points. Last week's weak August jobs report, coupled with softer labor market data, has fueled hopes the Fed will cut rates at its September meeting, with traders increasingly pricing in the possibility of a larger 50 bps reduction. This...
European shares finished higher on Monday, while French stocks also rose as investors stayed calm in the run-up to a no-confidence vote later in the day that lead to the ouster of the country's fifth prime minister in three years. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a vote of no-confidence on Monday, at a time when the continent's second-largest economy struggles to rein in its debt. France also faces its first of many credit rating reviews later this week. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended 0.52% higher at 552.04 points at the close, and France's CAC 40 index closed up...
US stocks were mostly higher on Monday as traders brace for a busy week of economic data ahead of next week's FOMC decision. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq gained 0.6%, while the Dow Jones hovered around the flatline. Inflation data will be in focus, with the upcoming CPI and PPI reports expected to shed more light on price pressures. Markets have nearly fully priced in a Federal Reserve rate cut this month, particularly after last week's weak jobs report. The BLS's preliminary benchmark revision to employment levels for the 12 months through March will also draw attention. At...
The Hang Seng index rose 216 points, or 0.9%, to close at 25,634 on Monday, extending its gains for a second session. Sentiment was boosted by US index futures, which indicated a rally on Wall Street, as weak employment data reinforced speculation of a Fed rate cut later this month. Investor optimism about the Chinese economy also improved after foreign exchange reserves reached their highest level since December 2015 in August, with the central bank reportedly increasing its gold holdings. However, gains were limited as Chinese trade data showed weak export and import growth, underscoring...
Stocks in Europe started the week in positive territory, with the STOXX 50 up 0.6% and the STOXX 600 advancing 0.3%. Equities continued to benefit from expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates this month, while investors kept a close watch on political developments in France. Prime Minister François Bayrou is widely expected to lose a confidence vote today, a result that would deepen political uncertainty in the country. Meanwhile, the ECB meets this week to set monetary policy. While no change in interest rates is anticipated, traders will scrutinize the meeting for any guidance...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 1.62% to hit a new all time high. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Mazda Motor Corp (TYO:7261), which rose 7.15% or 78.50 points to trade at 1,176.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Resonac Holdings Corp (TYO:4004) added 5.81% or 229.00 points to end at 4,173.00 and IHI Corp. (TYO:7013) was up 5.00% or 755.00 points to 15,855.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Keyence...
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....