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...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 2% to above 41,600, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.9% to 3,052 in post-holiday trading on Tuesday (August 12), with both benchmarks hitting all-time highs amid optimism over global trade. The U.S.-China trade truce was extended for 90 days, easing tensions and giving negotiators more time to reach a deal. Domestically, investors weighed the Bank of Japan's policy outlook as board members remained divided over the timing and pace of future interest rate hikes In corporate news, SoftBank Group surged more than 7% after committing about $32.7 billion to OpenAI and...
Stocks in the US slipped on Monday as traders braced for a busy week of economic data and geopolitical developments. The S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower, the Dow Jones fell 199 points, and the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.3% after last week's strong gains that saw the tech-heavy index notch consecutive record closes. Investors are eyeing July's CPI on Tuesday and PPI on Thursday, key inputs for the Fed's September rate decision, with markets pricing in a high chance of a cut. Trade tensions lingered as President Trump extended a 90-day pause on tariffs for Chinese goods and confirmed a deal requiring...
US President Donald Trump, in his speech on Monday night (August 11th), expressed his determination to "liberate" Washington D.C. from crime, violence, and social problems that he said had been left unchecked for too long. Trump said he would deploy federal troops to restore security and order to the capital, while ensuring the city is once again safe and orderly for its citizens. In his speech, Trump also highlighted the growing problem of homelessness in the downtown area. He plans to relocate the homeless to alternative housing outside the core area of Washington D.C., citing...
Wall Street stocks opened mixed on Monday, ahead of the crucial release of US inflation data and the approaching deadline for the interim tariff reduction agreement between Washington and Beijing. Minutes after trading opened, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 44,252.25, while the S&P 500 was flat at 6,388.35. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index weakened 0.2% to 21,403.12. This movement comes after US employment data for the past three months showed weakness, which is considered a "green light" for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to boost the world's largest...
The Hang Seng added 48 points or 0.2% on Monday, ending around 24,907 after a brief dip in morning trade, lifted by optimism over fresh property market support in the mainland. Beijing city announced last Friday it would remove limits on the number of homes residents can buy in suburban areas, ending the two-unit-per-household cap and sparking gains in property stocks such as Longfor Group (1.9%), China Resources Land (1.5%), and Sunac China (1.4%). Sentiment was also supported by July CPI data in China, where consumer prices beat forecasts following government subsidies for consumer goods....
European shares rose on Monday, extending the strong momentum from last week on optimism over a potential Ukraine peace deal, while investors turned their attention to upcoming U.S. inflation data and tariff negotiations later in the week. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.3% by 0708 GMT, hovering near its strongest level since July 31. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy won diplomatic backing from Europe and the NATO alliance ahead of a Russia-U.S. summit this week, where Kyiv fears Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may try to dictate terms for...
The Hang Seng Index opened 87 points higher, or 0.35%, at 24,946 points, while the National Enterprises Index rose by 23 points, or 0.26%, to 8,918 points. The Technology Index increased by 10 points, or 0.19%, to 5,470 points. In the technology sector, Alibaba saw a rise of 1.46%, Meituan gained 0.25%, and Kuaishou added 0.19%. Conversely, Xiaomi declined by 0.39%, and Tencent remained unchanged. Source : Dimsumdaily.hk
US stocks closed higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.8%, and the Nasdaq climbing nearly 1%, while the Dow gaining 206 points. Technology shares, led by Apple which surged 4.2% following its announcement of a $600 billion US investment plan helped lift the tech-heavy Nasdaq to new intraday highs. Investor optimism was also fueled by expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, with President Trump nominating Stephen Miran to the Fed Board, signaling possible shifts in monetary policy, despite concerns over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on imports from multiple...
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....