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 indices were mixed on Wednesday following a tech-led selloff on Wall Street, while U.K. inflation came in hotter than expected, raising doubts over future monetary easing by the Bank of England. The DAX index in Germany dropped 0.7%, while the CAC 40 in France slipped 0.1% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rallied 1.1%. Tech-led weakness European markets have followed their Asian counterparts lower on Wednesday, following the overnight weakness on Wall Street after tech stocks fretted about President Donald Trump's growing influence over the sector. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard...
US stocks were mixed for a second session on Wednesday as the market assessed the sustainability of the AI-driven rally, retail earnings results, and the outlook for US interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher while the S&P 500 held near the flatline, although the Nasdaq 100 weakened as the tech giant continued its aggressive decline from the previous session. Tech giants' stocks weakened further amid concerns that valuations may have become overstretched, in line with research indicating that most AI companies will be unprofitable, while MetaTrader has overhauled...
The Hang Seng Index rose 43 points, or 0.2%, to close at 25,166 on Wednesday, reversing early losses and ending a four-day losing streak. Market sentiment improved as Chinese equities rallied, boosted by the People's Bank of China's decision to maintain its benchmark interest rate-a move expected to inject liquidity and counter deflationary pressures. Meanwhile, trading and listing activity in Hong Kong continued to increase, supported by policy measures to stimulate the capital market and simplify IPO procedures. Investors tried to brush aside reports that the US was intensifying scrutiny...
European stocks fell on Wednesday (August 20), with the Stoxx 50 down 0.4% and the Stoxx 600 down 0.3%, led by defense stocks. The Stoxx Europe Aerospace & Defense Index fell 0.9% after a 2.6% drop on Tuesday, as optimism over a Ukraine ceasefire weighed on the sector. Germany's Rheinmetall and Hensoldt each fell nearly 2%, while Britain's Rolls-Royce and Qinetiq also fell around 2%. The declines followed US President Trump's call for Putin and Zelenskiy to show "flexibility" and hold a bilateral summit, raising speculation of a breakthrough in peace talks. Elsewhere, UK inflation...
Japanese stocks weakened after the close of trading on Wednesday (August 20th), as weakness in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation, and Communications sectors led to declines. At the close of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.42%. The best-performing stocks on the Nikkei 225 were Pacific Metals Co., Ltd. (TYO:5541), which rose 4.89% or 91.00 points to trade at 1,953.00. Meanwhile, Oriental Land Co. Ltd. (TYO:4661) rose 4.47% or 157.00 points to close at 3,672.00, and Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:4661) rose 4.47% or 157.00 points to close at 3,672.00. (TYO:9009) rose 3.96%,...
Equities in Hong Kong dropped 105 points or 0.4% to 25,019 in Wednesday morning trade, slipping for the fifth session after a tech-led selloff on Wall Street ahead of the Fed's July meeting minutes and the Jackson Hole meeting. Sentiment remained fragile after Tuesday's data showed China's youth unemployment hit an 11-month high of 17.8% in July, with weak demand in tech, real estate, and education sectors. Losses were contained by the PBoC's move to keep key lending rates at record lows, in line with consensus, as Beijing sought to bolster liquidity and counter disinflation. Meanwhile,...
Japanese equities fell on Wednesday after the country saw its steepest export drop in over four years. Exports fell 2.6% in July as US tariffs weighed on global commerce, the Ministry of Finance reported Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 fell 145.63 points to open at 43,400.66, tracking a sharp retreat on Wall Street led by heavyweight technology shares. Investor confidence wavered over concerns that the tech rally had advanced too far, with all eyes on the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium for clues on interest rates. Concurrently, the US announced plans to increase scrutiny of imports from...
US stocks fell on Tuesday as losses in major technology names dragged the market lower, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.6% and the Nasdaq falling 1.5%, its lowest level in more than two weeks, on steep drops in chipmakers. The Dow Jones finished muted after briefly hitting a record high earlier in the day. Nvidia slid 3.5%, AMD tumbled 5.4%, and Broadcom fell 3.6%, while Palantir plunged 9.3%, making it the weakest performer in the S&P 500. On the upside, Home Depot gained 3.2% despite missing earnings expectations, supported by signs of firming demand in the housing sector. Intel...
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....