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 rose after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his plans to step down, fueling hopes of new catalysts such as a government spending boost. The Topix index rose 1.1% to 3,138.20—a new record high—with 1,305 stocks advancing, 299 declining, and 72 unchanged. The Nikkei 225 added 1.5% to 43,643.81. Ishiba's resignation follows weeks of pressure following the poor results of the July election. According to TBS, the Liberal Democratic Party is considering a leadership election on October 4. "The market sees this as a sign of movement after post-election stagnation," said...
Hong Kong shares rose 52 points or 0.2% to 25,468 in Monday morning trade, gaining for the second session as U.S. futures inched up after weak U.S. labor data boosted expectations of rate cuts this month. Mainland markets advanced further after weekend data showed China's forex reserves in August hit their highest since December 2015, helped by a weaker dollar, while the central bank continued to build gold holdings. Gains were led by consumer and tech stocks as property and financials lagged. Sentiment was capped by caution ahead of China's August trade data due later today, with markets...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.1% to above 43,500 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.7% to 3,127 on Monday, with Japanese shares edging closer to record highs after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced over the weekend that he will step down. His resignation followed intensifying rifts within the ruling party and weeks of pressure stemming from his national election defeat late last year. The move also came as Japan faced setbacks in securing a trade deal with the US while trying to shield its key auto industry from steep tariffs. At the same time, Japan's second quarter GDP growth...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher Monday as investors assessed the resignation of Japan's prime minister and eyed key economic data in the region. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.95% after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday, following weeks of mounting pressure over his national election defeat late last year. The Topix climbed 0.51%. The Japanese yen weakened 0.64% to 148.33 against the greenback. "Japan is now set for a period of extended uncertainty going into Q4 2025," wrote analysts from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. "Although the...
US stocks closed lower on Friday after weaker-than-expected August jobs data raised concerns about a slowing economy, even as expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts firmed. The S&P 500 gave up earlier gains, ending 0.3% lower and below Thursday's record close, the Dow dropped 220 points, while the Nasdaq 100 was flat. The economy added just 22K jobs, well below the 75K forecast, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, highlighting a cooling labor market. Traders priced in a higher chance of interest-rate cuts, with bets rising on a potential 50bps reduction this month. Banks,...
European stocks closed on Friday, tracking the pullback in US equities after pessimistic labor data from the US sounded alarms over the world's largest economy. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 dropped 0.6% to 5,330, and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.2% to 549. Nonfarm payrolls in the US were well under market expectations and the unemployment rate, which is under special scrutiny by the Federal Reserve, rose to a near-four-year high. The results backed bets of incoming cuts by the Fed, but such support was offset by concerns of a weakening economy and the pressure on export-oriented sectors in...
US stocks rallied on Friday (September 5th), with the S&P 500 rising 0.4% and the Nasdaq gaining 0.6% to new record highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose nearly 100 points as a weak jobs report reinforced expectations of a Fed rate cut this year. The US economy added only 22,000 jobs in August, well below the 75,000 expected, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, the highest since 2021 and in line with expectations. The figures point to a cooling labor market and reinforce speculation that the Fed will cut interest rates later this month, with the market now pricing in...
The Hang Seng index surged 359 points, or 1.4%, to close at 25,418 on Friday, ending a three-day losing streak. Optimism improved after Wall Street's S&P 500 hit a record high on Thursday, with traders betting that the Fed would cut interest rates this month amid further signs of a weakening US labor market. For the week, the index also gained 1.4%, reversing the previous week's decline, supported by a CNY 1 trillion liquidity injection from China's central bank. Gains were capped by the sharpest weekly decline in five months in mainland stocks as traders booked profits following a...
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....