Page 8 - Asian Stocks

Asian markets steady, dollar slips as Israel-Iran truce lifts mood

The dollar wallowed close to an almost four-year trough versus the euro with two-year US Treasury yields sagging to 1 1/2-month lows

Asian shares rally after Trump announces ceasefire between Israel, Iran

Stocks rallied Tuesday after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict, although the situation remained unclear as attacks continued. Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete and total ceasefire soon after Iran launched limited missile attacks Monday on a US military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend. Uncertainty remained, with Israel not immediately confirming any ceasefire. It was unclear what the missile launches would do for the ceasefire's timeline. Trump's announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire wouldn't begin until about midnight Tuesday, Eastern time. He said it would bring an Official END to the war. US futures advanced, as contracts for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5%. In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 1% to 38,756.00 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.7% to 24,078.94. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.9% to 3,411.92. In Sou

Asian shares slide, oil prices surge after Israel's strike on Iran

Markets in Asia opened lower early Friday while oil prices surged after Israel attacked Iran's capital amid the ramping up tensions over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. US benchmark crude oil rose by $5.6, or 8.2%, to $73.61 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, increased by $5.52 to $74.88 per barrel. In share trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 1.2% to 37,721.63 while the Kospi in Seoul edged 0.7% lower to 2,900.14. Hong Kong's Hang Seng retreated 0.4% to 23,929.62 and the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.2% to 3,394.52. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 drifted 0.3% lower to 8,540.80. An Israeli attack on Iran poses a top ten of our global risk, but Asian markets are expected to recover quickly as they have relatively limited exposure to the conflict and growing ties to unaffected Saudi Arabia and the UAE, said Xu Tiachen of The Economist Intelligence. On Thursday, US stock indexes ticked higher following another encouraging update on inflation across the ...

Asian shares mixed as markets shrug at latest China-US trade deal

Asian shares were trading mixed early Thursday after Wall Street's rally stalled as investors appeared not to react much to the results of the latest round of China-US trade talks. US futures slipped while oil prices rose. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.7 per cent to 38,160.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 0.7 per cent to 24,206.69, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1 per cent lower to 3,400.30. In South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.4 per cent to 2,919.67, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1 per cent higher to 8,604.70. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent to 6,022.24 for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged at 42,865.77 after edging down by 1 point. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.5 per cent to 3,400.30. All told, the S&P 500 fell 16.57 points to 6,022.24. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.10 to 42,865.77, and the Nasdaq composite sank 99.11 to 19,615.88. Several Big Tech stocks led the way lower, and a ...

Asian shares gain as US, China agree on framework to advance trade deal

Asian shares mostly rose Wednesday after China and the US said they had agreed on a framework for following up on the trade truce reached last month in Geneva. US futures fell while oil prices edged higher. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 0.6 per cent in afternoon trading to 38,450.76. Data from the Bank of Japan data showed wholesale inflation slowed in May, meaning there might be less pressure for the central bank to raise interest rates in its next policy board meeting. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.9 per cent to 24,381.39, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.5 per cent to 3,402.97. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2 per cent to 8,603.70. South Korea's Kospi added 1.0 per cent to 2,900.05. Tuesday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.5 per cent to 6,038.81 as the trade talks between the world's two largest economies carried into a second day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2 per cent to 42,866.87, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6 per cent to ...

Asian shares gain as investors keep an eye on China-US trade talks

Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday as investors kept an eye on China-US trade talks that might help stave off a recession. A second day of talks was planned after US and Chinese officials met in London for negotiations over various issues. The hope is that they can eventually reach a deal to reduce painfully high tariffs against each other. Most of the tariff hikes imposed since US President Donald Trump escalated his trade war are paused to allow trade in everything from tiny tech gadgets to enormous machinery to continue. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 1% to 38,473.97, while the Kospi in South Korea jumped 0.9% to 2,881.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.2% higher, to 24,242.03 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1% at 3,403.51. In Taiwan, the Taiex surged 2%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7% to 8,578.50. On Monday, the S&P 500 edged up just 0.1% and at 6,005.88 is within 2.3% of its record set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ...

Asian shares rise, dollar eases ahead of US-China trade talks in London

Wall Street stocks had closed sharply higher on Friday after the jobs data eased concerns about damage to the world's biggest economy from President Donald Trump's unpredictable tariff regime

Asian shares edge up as dollar dips ahead of ECB policy, US jobs data

The dollar slid in the previous session after weak US jobs and services data, with more weighty employment data due on Friday

Asian stocks edge up, dollar dips as traders brace for higher US tariffs

South Korea's stocks and its currency surged as liberal presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's election victory raised hopes of swift economic stimulus

Asian share markets, dollar cautious on tariff news, US jobs data

Markets will be particularly interested to see if Trump goes ahead with the 50 per cent tariff on Wednesday, or backs off as he has done so often before

Asian shares extend rally as strong US data, tech hopes lift sentiment

Markets welcomed what appeared to be easing trade frictions between the US and Europe while global bond markets settled down after a scary surge in long-term yields

Asian shares dip as Trump delays EU tariffs; US futures edge higher

Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Tuesday, trading in a narrow range after US markets were closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. US futures were and oil prices slipped. Data on consumer confidence and housing prices were due out later on Tuesday. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.2% to 37,451.60 after the governor of the central bank said he anticipated raising interest rates in coming months due to inflationary pressures. Bank of Japan Gov Kazuo Ueda said in a speech that Japan was facing pressure from rising food prices, with rice prices doubling in the past year. Inflation in Japan is now higher than in the US or Europe and above the BOJ's target level. But the central bank also has to take into account trade policies, he said without directly mentioning US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, that complicate its goal of raising its very low benchmark interest rate of 0.5%. We are now closer to the target than at any time during the last three decades, though we are not

Asian stocks edge up as US trade deals, Mideast tensions curb risk appetite

The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan crept up 0.5 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei was down 0.18 per cent

Asian stocks rise as investors weigh US debt, upcoming trade deals

With little indication of trade deals on the way, markets are struggling for direction, analysts said

Asian shares dip as China data disappoints, drop in Wall Street futures

The tariff war has weighed heavily on consumer sentiment and analysts will be scouring earnings from Home Depot and Target this week for an update on spending trends

Asian shares likely to end strong week lower, bonds stage relief rally

In Asia, shares of Alibaba slumped 6.8 per cent after the tech giant's quarterly revenue failed to impress investors

Asian shares dip as Wall Street ends mixed, US futures also edge lower

Asian shares and US futures slipped Thursday after US stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street. Oil prices fell more than USD 1 a barrel. China moved to reverse some of its non-tariff measures against the US as agreed with Washington in their temporary trade war cease-fire and most markets traded in a narrow range. Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.1 per cent, however, to 37,705.74. Computer chip-related stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Disco Corp. falling 2.6 per cent and Advantest down 1.8 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was the outlier, picking up 0.2 per cent to 23,691.67. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3 per cent to 3,393.29, while Taiwan's Taiex fell 0.2 per cent. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was nearly unchanged at 8,278.30. South Korea's Kospi edged 0.1 per cent lower. On Wednesday, a choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with a mixed finish as gains by several big technology stocks helped temper losses. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1 per cent .

Asian shares mostly gain as US-China agree to 90-day trade war pause

Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday as a cautious sense of relief spread through regional markets after the US and China agreed to a 90-day pause in their trade war. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.8 per cent to 37,874.59. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.1 per cent to 8,260.40. South Korea's Kospi surged 1.1 per cent to 2,635.86. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.1 per cent to 23,367.57, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.1 per cent to 3,377.75. The relief over the trade truce between the US and China is tepid among global businesses and investors given uncertainty over how long it might last and where tariffs might go in the months ahead. In the absence of a lasting deal, uncertainty over where tariff rates will settle and the impact of those already implemented will remain key factors in our macroeconomic forecasts, said Brian Coulton, chief economist at Fitch Ratings. A report overnight that showed US inflation unexpectedly slowed last month helped drive buying that .

Asian markets rally as US-China trade truce lifts investor sentiment

Japan's Nikkei soared 2 per cent, touching its highest level since February 25, and tech-heavy Taiwan also rose 2 per cent

Asian shares advance as details awaited on progress in China-US trade talks

Asian shares advanced Monday after two days of trade talks between China and the US made what the US side said was substantial progress. US futures and oil prices advanced. Officials said a joint statement would be issued later Monday following the trade talks in Geneva over the weekend. Investors are also watching for developments in other flashpoints including clashes between India and Pakistan, the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East. India's Sensex jumped about 2.5% after it and Pakistan agreed to a truce after talks to defuse their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies have exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gave up early gains to trade up 0.6% at 23,009.64, while the Shanghai Composite Index picked up 0.4% to 3,355.54. Chinese EV battery maker CATL, or Contemporary Amperex Technology Co, Ltd., said in a prospectus filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that i