Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.83%, and the small-cap Kosdaq jumped 0.65%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 added 0.41%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 26,464, higher than its last close of 26,086.32. Equities in several parts of the world have been rallying as easing inflation pressures and expectations for U.S. rate cuts boost investor sentiment. "Momentum and the promise of...
U.S. Treasury yields regained some lost ground on Wednesday after the House of Representatives advanced President Donald Trump's tax-cut agenda, while the dollar and oil prices struggled on mounting worries over the U.S. growth outlook. U.S. copper prices surged more than 4% while those elsewhere fell overnight after Trump on Tuesday ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on copper imports. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives late on Tuesday narrowly passed Trump's $4.5 trillion tax-cut plan, sending the budget resolution to the Senate, where Republicans are...
The monthly Consumer Price Index in Australia increased by 2.5% yoy in January 2025, unchanged from the previous month but below market estimates of a 2.6% rise. Still, the latest result was the highest reading in four months, with food prices rising the most in three months (3.3% vs 2.7%). Also, prices rose faster for tobacco (6.4% vs 5.8%), clothing (2.1% vs 1.3%), and housing (2.1% vs 1.5%). Excluding volatile items and travel, the CPI rose by 2.9%, the most in five months, accelerating from a 2.7% gain in the previous month. Source: Trading Economics
US President Donald Trump signed another Executive Order on Tuesday evening (2/25), signaling the US Commerce Department to launch a formal "investigation" into the Copper market. President Trump, citing "national security concerns," ordered an investigation into the futures and delivery markets of Copper. US law provides an ambiguous backdoor for the president to issue Executive Orders that allow the White House to bypass normal congressional channels to start a trade war, and has been the basis for hundreds of Trump administration Executive Orders since Trump took office in...
Consumer confidence in the US took a hit in February, with the Consumer Confidence Index falling to 98.3 (from 105.3) according to the Conference Board. The index fell to its lowest level since June 2024. Consumers' views of current business and job market conditions deteriorated, with the Current Situation Index dropping 3.4 points to 136.5. Meanwhile, their near-term outlook for income, business, and employment weakened further, with the Expectations Index dropping 9.3 points to 72.9. Stephanie Guichard, Senior Economist, Global Indicators at The Conference Board, explained that in...
US President Donald Trump was on the news on Monday (24/2), commenting on the ongoing Ukraine-Russia peace situation. With Russia now more than a thousand days into a three-day military operation intended to bring the country back under Russian control, the US President, who has been allied with Russia's Vladimir Putin for years, is trying to isolate Ukraine from NATO and get Ukraine to sign up to a half-trillion-dollar deal. This follows accusations from President Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ultimately responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the first...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump met with Qatar's leader, praised his magnificent palace, and signed a comprehensive defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, a key ally that hosts...