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Asian shares were mostly lower and US futures also fell Thursday after Wall Street retreated, dragged down by falls in Big Tech stocks. Oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel after US President Donald Trump said he was told on good authority that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran has signaled fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters. US benchmark crude fell $2, or 3.3%, to $59.88 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed $2.12, or 3.2%, to $64.40 per barrel. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.9% to 53,863.84, with technology-related stocks trading lower. SoftBank Group fell 5.6%, testing equipment maker Advantest fell 4.1% and chip maker Tokyo Electron fell 3.3%. Shares of machinery and equipment maker Toyota Industries rose 6% following reports that automaker Toyota Motor has raised its buyout offer for the company to 18,800 yen ($118.61) per share. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.6% to 26,850.78. Hong ...
Asian shares were mostly lower, and US futures also declined on Thursday as Wall Street's New Year's rally faded. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6 per cent to 51,117.26, with technology stocks among those leading the decline. SoftBank, which focuses on tech investments, dropped 7.6 per cent, while semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron dipped 4 per cent. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng lost 1.2 per cent to 26,143.17, although shares of OpenAI's Chinese rival Zhipu rose as much as around 15 per cent above their offer price in the company's trading debut. The Shanghai Composite index fell nearly 0.1 per cent to 4,082.98. South Korea's Kospi, which reached record high levels this week, mostly flatlined on Thursday, adding less than 0.1 per cent to 4,552.37. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 8,720.80, while Taiwan's Taiex slid more than 0.2 per cent. US stock futures fell, with the futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declining 0.3 per
Asian shares and US futures advanced on Tuesday after stocks closed higher on Wall Street. Oil prices fell back after gaining Monday following the capture by US forces of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend raid. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.1 per cent to 52,389.63 on strong buying of tech related shares like precision tools maker Disco Corp., which jumped 5.3 per cent. South Korea's Kospi pushed further into record territory, gaining 0.8 per cent to 4,495.49, buoyed by gains for automakers and some electronics manufacturers. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 1.8 per cent to 26,815.75 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 1.1 per cent at 4,069.38. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4 per cent to 8,697.10. Taiwan's Taiex climbed 1.2 per cent, while in India, the Sensex edged 0.1 per cent lower. Monday's gains on Wall Street were broad, with particularly big jumps for energy companies and banks. Elsewhere, industrial companies and retailers joined in to help ..
US futures edged lower and Asian shares were mixed Friday, with Tokyo's Nikkei 225 trading near record high levels. The prices of gold and silver surged to records, extending their sharp gains for the year as investors including central banks have stocked up on the precious metals, which are viewed as safe havens in times of uncertainty. The price of gold gained 0.8% to 4,538.80 a troy ounce, while silver jumped 4.5% to $74.90 per ounce. Earlier surges in gold prices reflected worries during the US government shutdown. Expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further in the new year, weakening the dollar against other currencies, have also fuelled buying of gold. Gold is doing what gold does when the world loses its anchor: it becomes the anchor, Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a recent report. For centuries, gold has been the one asset that doesn't blink. When politics goes sideways, when currencies fray, when inflation eats the furniture, gol