ASEAN Countries

Wall Street was also set to start lower on Tuesday as traders were cautious ahead of important?U.S. jobs data. Investors were eagerly awaiting the October and November U.S. The October and November?U.S. employment reports are due in the later session after the data collection was delayed during the U.S. shutdown. After the Fed's comments when it reduced rates last week were interpreted as being less hawkish that anticipated, this could affect expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy in the coming year. This would strengthen expectations for further rate cuts by 2026. The stock markets dropped during Asian trading....

Early trading Tuesday saw European stocks fall as traders remained cautious ahead of important U.S. employment data. The dollar also remained near its lowest level in the past two months. Investors waited for the U.S. Employment Reports for October and November due later in session. Data collection was delayed during the U.S. Government Shutdown. After the Fed's comments when it reduced rates last week were interpreted as being less hawkish that anticipated, this could affect expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy in the coming year. This would strengthen expectations for further rate cuts by 2026. The stock markets...

Asian stocks fell on Tuesday while the dollar drifted to two-month lows. Investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the release of several U.S. economic data including the jobs report that could 'help gauge the direction of Federal Reserve policy for next year. Risk assets were under pressure due to the defensive mood, including bitcoin. Bitcoin, which?hit an all-time low of two weeks in the previous session, was down by 0.3%, at $86,017.67. Nasdaq Futures dropped 0.8%, and European Futures declined 0.5%. Hang Seng's technology index fell 2.7%. The MSCI broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell by 1.45%, its...

European shares rose on Monday, as Wall Street futures indicated a recovery after last week's selling. However, investor caution capped gains ahead of a busy week that will include important central bank decisions and economic reports. The benchmark STOXX Index of 600 large companies in Europe gained 0.6%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% after U.S. shares had fallen on Friday due to concerns over a bubble in?Artificial Intelligence stocks and lingering inflation. Asia shares have been less buoyant due to renewed concerns in China's real estate market. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell 1.2%. This was led by...

Investors reined-in risk-taking as they began a week that would be peppered with important central bank decisions and data release. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 1%. This was largely due to a fall of up to 2.7% on South Korean shares. South Korea is one of the best-performing markets in the world this year. Chris Weston said, "We are now in the last week of trading before many close their books for 2025 and call it an end of year," said Chris Weston. He is head of research at Pepperstone Group based in Melbourne. "Some may have already...

Asian stocks fell in early trading Monday, as investors reined-in risk-taking ahead of a week that will be dotted with data releases and central bank decisions. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell?0.6%. This was led by a fall of up to 2.7% on South Korean shares. South Korea is one of the best-performing markets in the world this year. Chris Weston said, "We are in the final trading week for 2025. Many will close their books at this point and call it an end to the year." Chris Weston is head of research at Pepperstone Group Ltd. "Some...

The major stock indexes fell sharply on Friday. Investors were cautious about artificial intelligence bets and the dollar, as well as U.S. Treasury Yields, edged up after recent losses. Oracle, a cloud computing company, warned earlier this week of massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom, a chipmaker, warned late on Thursday about margins. Technology fell the most of all major S&P sectors, 2.5%. Broadcom shares fell 10.9% while Oracle dropped 4.6%, and AI leader Nvidia declined 2.1%. Investors are optimistic about future U.S. rate cuts after the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by 25 basis point on Wednesday. The...

European stocks were up on Friday. They are on track to make a third consecutive weekly gain, as the Fed's recent interest rate cut boosted sentiment. However, Wall Street futures indicated some lingering caution following the previous session's sell-off in tech-stocks. Investors were wary of artificial intelligence bets after Oracle, a cloud computing company, announced massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom's warning on margins added to investors' concerns. The move on Thursday had a limited effect on the wider risk appetite, as both S&P 500 & Dow hit new highs. On Friday, Wall Street futures fell during Asian trading while...

Asian stocks rose in the early hours of Friday's trade, following overnight gains on Wall Street. However, a new decline in Oracle shares sent jitters throughout the tech sector. The financial markets had to?move fast this week in order to regain their footing when the Federal Reserve cut interest rates Investors were stressed by the fact that the hawkish view was less than expected. The Dow, Russell 2000 and Nasdaq all reached new highs on Thursday. Softbank Group shares surged 6% in the morning after Bloomberg News reported that it was considering acquiring a U.S. company called Switch Inc. S&P...

The dollar suffered losses following the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut. Bonds were also firm. Oracle shares fell more than 11% in Asia trading. S&P futures were down 0.9% and Nasdaq futures 1.3%. AI-related stocks suffered the most in Tokyo as Oracle missed its profit and revenue forecasts, and executives cited higher spending as a sign infrastructure investments aren't turning into profits at the rate investors had expected. Japan's Nikkei Index fell by 1%, with the AI-exposed SoftBank Group contributing 7.5% to the decline. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose only 0.06%. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside...

Investors worried about the direction U.S. interest rates could take next year amid fears about a divided Central Bank. Asian stocks dropped while the dollar remained steady on Tuesday. Investor sentiment was cautious after a shaky start to the week, with key central bank meetings. Markets are looking for clarity on the outlook of global interest rates. Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates unchanged as expected on February 2, ruling out any further policy easing. They warned that the next step could be an increase if inflation pressures remain stubborn. The Australian dollar traded just below a three-month high. Bank...

Japan's Nikkei fell on Friday, wiping away this week's gains despite an otherwise positive Asian performance. Investors are waiting for the U.S. Inflation reading which could influence a deeply divided Federal Reserve. The European stock market was headed for a flat opening, as both EURO STOXX futures and FTSE Futures were little changed. Nasdaq Futures rose by 0.4%, and S&P500 Futures rose by 0.2%. In Asia, Nikkei fell by 1.3% as weaker than expected household spending data highlighted the inflation problem. Bets on a rate increase later in the month also grew. The week was expected to be mostly flat....

A finance ministry official announced?on Friday that Indonesia would issue investment instruments to earn from exporting natural resources. The goal is to ensure exporters follow the rules and keep the foreign currency earnings in the country. The 'new'regulation is intended to increase U.S. Dollar liquidity onshore and stabilize the rupiah rate. It will require that natural resource exporters retain all their foreign currency earnings starting January 1st in state banks for a minimum of a year, and restrict their use. Febrio Kacaribu is a senior official in the Finance Ministry. He told a news conference that new FX bonds will...

An official from the energy ministry said that Indonesia will auction?629,000 tons of bauxite taken over by the government on Tuesday. The auction is expected to earn it about 200 billion Rupiah (12 million dollars). A miners' association warned that the move could harm the industry as the available processing capacity is still limited. Jeffri Huwae said in a?statement that the auction is intended to increase state revenues, and provide legal certainty for assets under government control. Huwae explained that the'stockpile' was the remnants of mining operations conducted by companies with mining permits. These permits are now expired, and the...

The Vietnamese parliament approved on Thursday a revised bill that limits the exports of?rare earths refined and reaffirms an ore -export ban. This is in an effort to support a domestic industry that has been struggling for years to extract its significant reserves. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Vietnam has one of the largest reserves of rare earths in the world. However, earlier this year, the government agency significantly reduced its estimate of the?reserves of the country to 3.5 millions metric tons from 22 million tonnes. The new law states that "deep processing must be associated with building...

Thailand's central banks is preparing measures to reduce the upward pressure of the baht. This includes tightening controls by banks on gold-related transactions in foreign exchange and requiring gold traders to provide their transaction data. The baht is Asia's second best performing currency, having gained 7% in value against the dollar this year. The appreciation of the baht is a threat to Thailand's export and tourism industries. In a recent statement, the Bank of Thailand said that it closely monitors the baht's volatility and will take action to minimize the impact of any fluctuations on businesses. The BOT will propose...

Indonesia posted a smaller-than-expected trade surplus in October after exports unexpectedly fell, official data showed on Monday, amid curtailed demand from China and weak shipments of mining products. The surplus was $2.4 billion. This is lower than the forecast of $3.72 billion by economists polled and September's surplus of $4.34 billion. According to LSEG, it was the smallest surplus monthly since April. Exports fell 2.31% compared to a year ago, reaching $24.24 billion. Analysts predicted a growth of 3.38%. A Statistics Indonesia official explained to reporters that the decline was caused by lower shipments, particularly of copper and coal products....

Two sources familiar with this matter claim that Chile's state owned copper producer offered to sell copper to U.S. clients with contracts based upon London Metal Exchange copper price at a record premium of over $500 per metric ton. The premium is added to the benchmark LME price and reflects fundamentals of demand and supply. The premium also covers transport costs and taxes. Codelco didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. The LME copper price reached a record high of $11,200 per ton on the 29th October due to expectations that shortages would occur, partly as a result...

Residents of Pari Island sue Swiss Cement Maker Holcim Climate change is blamed for higher temperatures and warmer seas Indonesian coastline is being eroded by mangroves. By Leo Galuh The Women's Group of Pari Island is hoping that mangroves will protect its coastline from rising sea levels, tidal flooding, and stronger waves. Mangroves absorb greenhouse gases, which are harmful to the planet. The sea has changed. "It's hotter and rougher. It scares us," Asmania, a mom of three, said as she dug her hands in the sand below the shallow sea. Pari Island, near Jakarta's capital, is home to only...

The price of copper rose on Tuesday as traders took into account supply developments, record U.S. stocks and the uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision for December. As of 1300 GMT, the most traded copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange had risen 0.33% to 86,320 Yuan ($12154.32) a metric tonne. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.31% to $10,806 per ton. Freeport Indonesia announced on Monday that it had reduced its production plans for 2026 at its flagship Grasberg Mine to 478,000 tonnes of copper cathode, from an earlier expectation of 700,000...

Lynas Rare Earths, based in Australia, said that it estimated a possible shortfall of one month's worth of production at its Kalgoorlie plant in Western Australia due to significant power supply interruptions. Lynas stated that the Kalgoorlie Rare Earths processing facility has experienced a dramatic increase in power supply interruptions since 2025. November saw a particularly high number, which resulted in significant losses in production of Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate. The largest rare-earth manufacturer outside China, the world's biggest rare-earth supplier, also expects that the Kalgoorlie disruptions will affect the production of finished products at its Malaysian plant during the...

Nippon Steel is Japan's largest steelmaker. It expects to report an annual profit drop of 14% before one-offs in the current fiscal year. However, it did not include its outlook for U.S. Steel due to the significant challenges on the U.S. Market. The Japanese steelmaker is expecting a underlying business gain, or profit adjusted to remove one-offs of 680 billion dollars for the fiscal year ending March. This is down from last year's 793.7 billion dollars. Nippon Steel acquired U.S. Steel for $15 billion in June. The company said that it had excluded the U.S. Steel business from its fiscal...

Sojitz, a Japanese company, has started importing rare earths heavy from Australia's Lynas. This is the first import of this kind produced using Australian ore that was separated and refined in Malaysia. This move is intended to ensure that Japan can obtain key materials for electric vehicles and renewable energies from other sources than China, the dominant market. Japan, the United States and their allies are working to create supply chains outside China as Beijing tightens its export controls on key minerals. Kosuke uemura, CEO of Sojitz, told reporters that the company would continue to promote diversification in the rare...

Sany Heavy Industry's shares rose up to 4.7% on their Hong Kong debut Tuesday, after the Chinese construction equipment maker raised HK$12.36bn ($1.59bn) in one the biggest listings in the city this year. According to the prospectus, this company was founded in 1994 and is part of the Sany Group. It is now China's leading construction machinery manufacturer, and ranks among the top three worldwide. Sany, which manufactures excavators and concrete machinery as well as road construction equipment and cranes, operates 16 production bases in different countries and sells its products to more than 150. The stock price opened at...