Asian Stocks

Asian shares slide, oil sinks $2 after Trump says Iran stopped killings

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 markets rise as yen hits weakest since 2024 on Japan election hopes

The Japanese yen hit its weakest level since July 2024 at 159.415 per dollar in early Asian hours, as the threat of a market intervention resurfaced

Asian stocks rise as Nikkei hits record amid AI optimism, earnings ahead

In share markets, Japan's Nikkei returned from holiday with a jump of 3.4% to record highs, aided by a weak yen and talk of fiscal stimulus

US futures slip while Asian shares gain as Fed chair faces legal threat

US futures slipped but markets in Asia advanced Monday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Department of Justice had served the central bank with subpoenas. The threat of a criminal indictment over Powell's testimony about the Fed's building renovations is the latest escalation in President Donald Trump's feud with the Fed. Trump has criticized the Fed's $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings as excessive. Markets appeared to take the news in stride, although gold and other precious metals often used as a hedge in times of uncertainty climbed. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%. The future for the Nasdaq composite index slipped 0.8%. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.4% to 26,337.92, while the Shanghai Composite index also rose 0.4%, 4,135.31. Tokyo's markets were closed for a holiday. However, the US dollar rose against the Japanese yen, climbing to 157.96 yen from 157.90 late Friday. In South Korea, the Kospi

Global AI race shows Asia leading as tech stocks start 2026 with bang

Strategists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc are overweight and expect further gains driven partly by surging artificial intelligence-related demand and reasonable valuations

Asian stocks slip, dollar firms ahead of US jobs data and ruling on tariffs

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.3 per cent in early trading, just below the record high it hit earlier in the week

Asian shares mostly lower after Wall Street's strong start to year cools

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

Crude oil slumps, Asian shares edge lower as global tensions climb

Japanese shares weighed down regional equity benchmarks, while commodity shares were broadly higher after an overnight surge in industrial metals prices

Asian shares advance while oil prices ease amid US operation in Venezuela

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 ..

Asian shares rise as markets weigh US capture of Venezuela's Prez Maduro

SINGAPORE, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Asian stocks opened higher and oil prices were choppy on Monday as investors looked past U.S. military action ‍over the weekend in Venezuela ​to prepare for a packed week of economic data releases in the first full trading week of the year. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last up 0.3%, while S&P 500 e-mini futures were last 0.1% higher. Investors are assessing the repercussions of a dramatic weekend of events, which saw the U.S. capture Venezuelan President ​Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was putting Venezuela under temporary American control. "The removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. is unlikely to have meaningful near-term economic consequences for the global economy," said Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics. "But its political and geopolitical ramifications will reverberate." WTI crude futures fluctuated between gains and losses and .

AI bubble concerns, policy splits cast shadow over Asian stocks in 2026

The investment frenzy over AI played a key role in driving Asian stocks' outperformance versus their global peers last year

Asian shares set for strongest annual jump in eight years on AI bets

Gold firmed a bit and is on track for a 66 per cent surge in 2025 as the three-year rally shows no signs of stopping

Asian shares pulled lower by tech, silver and gold steady after sell-off

On Tuesday, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.1 per cent but was set for an annual gain of 26.7 per cent, its best performance since 2017

Asian stocks advance as Fed rate cut bets push precious metals to records

Silver climbed above ‍the $80-per-ounce-mark for the first time before sliding sharply lower in ​volatile trading on Monday, while platinum and palladium also fell sharply after hitting all-time highs

US futures dip, Asian shares trade mixed; gold, silver hit record highs

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

Asian shares mixed after US stocks drift higher to more record highs

Asian shares were mixed Thursday in thin holiday trading, with most markets in the region and elsewhere closed for Christmas. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost less than 0.1% to 50,317.43. It has gained nearly 30% this year. The dollar slipped to 155.70 Japanese yen from 155.94 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.1780. Markets in mainland China advanced, with the Shanghai Composite index up 0.3%. Hong Kong's exchange was closed. Investors were encouraged by a statement by the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, promising to ensure adequate money supply to support financing, economic growth and inflation targets. Earlier in the week, the PBOC had opted to keep its key short-term lending rates unchanged. Shares fell in Thailand and Indonesia. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 index rose 0.3% to 6,932.05 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6% to close at 48,731.16. The Nasdaq composite added 0.2% to 23,613.31 Trading was extremely light as markets closed early for Christmas Ev

Asian markets rise as S&P 500 hits record on strong US economic growth

Asian markets mostly advanced Wednesday after the benchmark S&P 500 closed at another record high following a report that the US economy grew at an unexpectedly strong 4.3 per cent annual rate in July to September. The US government's first estimate of growth for the third quarter showed inflation remained high, while a separate report said consumer confidence faded further in December. The US economy expanded at a 3.8 per cent annual pace in April-June. Trading in Asia was thin, with many global markets due to be closed on Thursday for Christmas. Markets in the US will end early on Wednesday for Christmas Eve and stay closed for Christmas. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was unchanged at 50,411.10, and South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.1 per cent to 4,113.83. In Chinese markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.2 per cent to 25,818.93. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.2 per cent higher, to 3,929.25. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 20 slipped nearly 0.4 per cent to 8,762.70. Markets in Hong Kong ..

Year-ender 2025: India stocks lag EM, Asia in worst showing in decades

Kotak Securities pegs Nifty's December 2026 target at 29,120 in their base case, nearly 13 per cent above current levels

Asian shares extend tech-led rally, yen stays under pressure at record lows

Turnover was sparse in what is a holiday-shortened ​week for much of the world but the path of least resistance was higher ahead of delayed data

Asian markets rebound as tech lifts Wall Street, investors eye BOJ hike

Markets imply around a 90 per cent chance the BOJ will raise its rate a quarter point to 0.75 per cent later Friday, with much resting on the outlook for further tightening ahead