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...
European shares finished marginally higher on Monday, supported by defence stocks, while Novo Nordisk gained after data showed its weight-loss drug Wegovy delivers stronger heart-protective benefits than Eli Lilly's rival therapies. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.17% at 551.07, with gains led by the aerospace and defence index, which surged 2.1% to hover near a record high. Defence giants, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt advanced between 2.8% and 4.5%. Gains followed a Financial Times report that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was...
The Hang Seng Index surged 540 points, or 2.2%, to close at 25,617 on Monday (September 1), its biggest one-day gain since August 13 and its second consecutive gain, driven by broad gains. Consumer stocks surged about 3%, followed by solid gains in the technology and property sectors. Sentiment was boosted by upbeat August manufacturing PMI data in China from a private survey, which showed strong growth in new output and new orders. Meanwhile, mainland Chinese equities rose for a third session as abundant liquidity encouraged higher yields. Gains were partly capped by mixed US index...
European bourses opened September in positive territory, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 rising nearly 0.3% after modest gains in August. Trading is expected to remain subdued today, as US markets are closed for Labor Day and few economic data releases are scheduled, aside from stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP growth in Turkey. Investors are now looking ahead to this week's US jobs report, which will help shape expectations for the Federal Reserve's next policy move. On the corporate front, Novo Nordisk shares gained 2.9% after the company reported that its weight-loss drug Wegovy reduces...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.22%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Olympus Corp. (TYO:7733), which rose 4.64% or 80.00 points to trade at 1,802.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Dentsu Inc. (TYO:4324) added 3.59% or 105.00 points to end at 3,029.00 and Eisai Co., Ltd. (TYO:4523) was up 3.55% or 161.00 points to 4,699.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857), which fell...
Following a four-month streak of gains, the Hong Kong stock market has continued its upward momentum into September. The Hang Seng Index opened strongly, climbing by 430 points or 1.71% to reach 25,508 points. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose by 136 points, equivalent to a 1.52% increase, settling at 9,084 points. The Technology Index also experienced a boost, gaining 117 points or 2.07% to stand at 5,792 points. Technology stocks exhibited robust performance across the board. Tencent saw an increase of 1.4%, while Alibaba surged by an impressive 14.9% following its...
Japanese equities opened lower as investors steered clear of chip and tech shares following declines in Nvidia and Dell Technologies on the U.S. stock market over the weekend. The Topix Index was virtually unchanged at 3,074.18 as of 9:35 a.m. Tokyo time, while the Nikkei declined 1.1% to 42,258.84. Out of 1,680 stocks in the index, 1,023 rose and 573 fell, while 84 were unchanged. Selling pressure increased for electronics, machinery and precision equipment shares, while non-ferrous metal stocks took a hit. Domestic demand sectors like pharmaceuticals and...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday as investors assess China's RatingDog manufacturing data for August. The metric - which was previously known as the Caixin Purchasing Managers' Index - came in at 50.5, compared to a contraction of 49.5 the month before. Data released Sunday showed that the country's manufacturing PMI data came in at 49.4 in August, compared to 49.3 the month before. Investors are also assessing the developments in India and China relations, after leaders from both countries agreed that they are development partners, not rivals during a two-day meeting of the...
US stocks fell in the afternoon trading as investors took profits following a strong week that saw the S&P 500 reach record highs, amid signs that inflationary pressures remain persistent in the US economy. The S&P 500 lost 0.8%, the Nasdaq 100 declined 1.4%, and the Dow slipped 0.4%. Technology shares leading the retreat, with Nvidia dropping 3.8% as cautious guidance on China sales weighed on sentiment, while Dell slumped 8.6% after disappointing forecasts. Inflation remained in focus as the Fed's preferred gauge, the core PCE index, rose 2.9% year-on-year in July, the highest...
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....