The dollar continued its strengthening for a second day, pressuring all G-10 currencies; the Japanese yen slumped for a fourth session to its weakest level since March before paring losses. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose about 0.6% in two days. USD/JPY strengthened 0.4% to 150.89. It reached its Tuesday session high of 151.03, a level last seen on March 28. Further gains in the pair would put the March high of 151.30 in sight. EUR/USD fell 0.4% to 1.167, falling for the fourth time in five days. GBP/USD fell 0.6% to 1.3407 after two days of gains. USD/CAD rose 0.1% to 1.3955. US...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Thursday (5/15), as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation and Communications sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.88%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. (TYO:6976), which rose 6.77% or 159.50 points to trade at 2,514.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Aozora Bank, Ltd. (TYO:8304) gained 5.75% or 114.50 points to close at 2,105.50 and Haseko Corp. (TYO:1808) gained 4.77% or 95.50 points to 2,098.50 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755),...
Hong Kong shares rose 56 points, or 0.2%, to 23,691 during the morning session on Thursday (May 15), marking a second straight day of gains. Traders reacted to Beijing's decision to lift export curbs on rare earths and military-use technology for 28 U.S. entities, effective Wednesday, allowing exporters to apply for licenses for a 90-day period. China also temporarily lifted trade and investment bans on 17 U.S. companies, which it called a potential step to restart bilateral ties. Locally, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said Hong Kong's interest rates may remain low due to ample liquidity,...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 1% to around 37,700 while the broader Topix index fell 0.7% to 2,745 on Thursday, with Japanese shares dropping for a second straight session as the recent market rally fueled by the U.S.-China trade deal lost momentum. Analysts noted that while easing global trade tensions offered some relief, the broader outlook for corporate earnings and economic growth remained largely unchanged. Investors were also watching developments in a potential U.S.-Japan trade agreement, with Tokyo aiming to finalize a deal by June. In corporate news, Sony Group tumbled 4.7% after...
Asia-Pacific markets fell Thursday (15/5), after mostly gaining in the previous session on easing U.S.-China trade tensions. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.90%, while the Topix lost 0.75%. South Korea's Kospi declined 0.29% while the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.37%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.24%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.42%, while mainland China's CSI 300 was flat. "While markets have largely priced in peak tariff-related macro stress, we remain wary of a second wave of volatility, this time driven by fiscal policy uncertainty and weakening...
US stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed evolving trade policies and recent strength in the tech sector. The S&P 500 added 0.1% after erasing its losses for the year, while the Dow slipped 89 points and the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.7%, boosted by gains in major chipmakers. Nvidia climbed 3% following reports of AI chip shipments to Saudi Arabia, and AMD jumped 4% after unveiling a $6 billion share buyback plan. The broader AI rally fueled a 17% surge in Super Micro Computer, helping lift overall market sentiment. Optimism was further supported by a temporary U.S.-China tariff...
European stocks closed slightly lower, halting the strong momentum for equities from the week as markets took profits and continued to assess risks to the European corporate outlook from pending tariffs by the US. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 lost 0.3% to close at 5,400 and the pan-European STOXX 600 pulled back 0.4% to 542. Consumer discretionary extended their volatile momentum to record losses, with LVMH and Kering dropping 2% and 3%, while L'Oreal slumped 3.3%. In turn, healthcare continued to decline as US President Trump was due to pass policy to cap drug prices, with Sanofi and Bayer...
US stocks rose on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones up 0.2% while the Nasdaq gained 0.6%. The gains came after the S&P 500 turned positive for the year a day earlier, although momentum from the recent rally, fueled by the U.S.-China tariff cuts, appeared to be fading. Investors also eyed President Trump's visit to the Middle East, which has drawn attention to the market. The technology sector was the best performer so far while real estate and utilities underperformed. Nvidia shares jumped more than 3%, building on a 5.6% gain from the previous session as the company will...
The Hang Seng surged 532 points or 2.3% to close at 23,641 on Wednesday, recovering from the prior session's sharp drop after softer-than-expected U.S. consumer inflation eased concerns over the inflationary impact of U.S. tariff policies. Gains were broad-based, led by consumers and financials. The tech index also saw solid gains, as Nvidia and AMD will supply semiconductors to Saudi Arabia's Humain for a data center project. Separately, the U.S. is reportedly mulling a deal allowing the UAE to import over a million advanced Nvidia chips. Investors turned their focus to earnings from...
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....