The US Dollar Index (DXY) continued its strengthening for a second day and briefly hovered around 98.20 during the Asian session, driven by hawkish comments from Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid. He emphasized that the Fed must maintain credibility in combating inflation, stating that inflation remains too high, and assessing that current monetary policy is "properly calibrated." However, this encouragement is met with growing expectations of an interest rate cut, coupled with the ongoing US government shutdown. The CME FedWatch tool now projects a 94% chance of a 25 bps cut in...
US stocks hovered close to the flatline on Thursday after a volatile week, as markets continued to assess the outlook for US trade flows and how it may impact corporate returns. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 slightly higher, while the Dow was 150 points lower. Equities were supported this week by President Trump's remarks that tariffs against China would not remain at the 145% level in the longer term. Still, Treasury Secretary Bessent noted that talks with China have not yet started, and Beijing claimed it will not dialogue before tariffs by the US are lowered, raising skepticism on a...
The Hang Seng dropped 163 points or 0.7% to close at 21,910 on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak. The pullback came as Washington signaled openness to easing tariffs on China but ruled out taking unilateral action. Meanwhile, U.S. futures plunged after Wall Street logged a second consecutive day of gains Wednesday, with investors cautiously awaiting earnings from Alphabet, Intel, and PepsiCo later today. Losses in Hong Kong were limited by reports that China began issuing special sovereign bonds to cushion the economy from rising trade tensions, aiming to raise CNY 286 billion...
European stocks opened lower in early trading on Thursday as a relief rally stalls. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down by 0.5% at 8:30 am London time. Meanwhile, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 were also lower by 0.7%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is trading flat. Investors are digesting earnings releases from Unilever, Banco Sabadell, Sanofi, Eni, BNP Paribasand Dassault Systemes Regional markets had followed their global counterparts higher on Wednesday as concerns about a trade war between the U.S. and China receded. U.S. stocks also surged on Wednesday after President Donald Trump...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.49% to close at 35,039 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.32% to 2,593 on Thursday, with Japanese shares rising for the second straight session and tracking Wall Street higher. The rally followed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who signaled a softer stance on Chinese tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the U.S. and China have a chance to reach a "big deal" on trade. Meanwhile, the U.S. reportedly informed Japan's trade delegation that Tokyo would not receive special treatment under Washington's current tariff regime, despite Japan's...
Hong Kong stocks fell 128 points or 0.6% to 21,940 in early Thursday trade, snapping gains in the previous three sessions as investors took profits after the Hang Seng touched a three-week high. US futures also dipped slightly after Wall Street overnight logged strong advances for the second straight day, supported by softer rhetoric from the White House on China tariffs and assurances that President Trump won't seek to remove Fed Chair Powell. Losses were seen across property, consumer, and tech sectors, while financials traded flat as investors awaited the April Politburo meeting for...
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 0.8% to above 35,100 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.7% to 2,602 on Thursday, with Japanese shares rising for the second straight session and tracking Wall Street higher. The rally followed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who signaled a softer stance on China tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the U.S. and China have a chance to reach a "big deal" on trade. Investors also eyed progress in ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and Japan. On the monetary policy front, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to hold its...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street as a possible thaw in U.S.-China trade war fuels investor optimism. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose over 1%, extending the previous day's gains. The Topix added 0.81%. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.47% while the small-cap Kosdaq dipped 0.15%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.56%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.29% while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat.South Korea's GDP contracted 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025, according to advance figures released Thursday, missing the 0.1% rise expected by a...
U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 up 1.7%, the Nasdaq up 2.5% and the Dow up 419 points, as easing U.S.-China trade tensions and President Trump's assurance that he would not remove Fed Chairman Jerome Powell boosted sentiment. However, all three indexes fell from their highs as investors questioned whether a trade resolution was truly in sight. Treasury Secretary Bessent noted that Trump had not proposed unilateral tariff cuts and that talks with China had not yet begun, dampening early optimism. The remarks followed the president's remarks that tariffs might not...
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....