Asia

Abakkus Investment Managers says that India's Nifty50 companies have shown a robust profit growth, which has improved the outlook for domestic markets. However, global risk aversion, and a healthy IPO pipeline, could dampen a broader rally in the short term. The 'benchmark Nifty 50' and Sensex have fallen 7.9% and 9.8% respectively year-to date amid inflation driven by crude and a record of $25 billion in outflows from abroad. Comparatively, peers in the region, like South Korea and Taiwan have each gained about 50%. Abakkus manages assets totaling $5.2 billion and sees rising crude prices, global yields, and volatility in...

The UAE has suspended all financial relations with Iran Iran blamed for missile threat by major Gulf oil producers * Missile Launch?comes in the midst of standoff over deal ending U.S.-Iran Conflict DUBAI, August 19 - The decision by the United 'Arab Emirates to suspend all economic and financial transactions with Iran, citing a military escalation in Tehran, with a threat of missiles, has refocused attention on the fraught ties that exist between the'major gulf arab oil producer, Iran and the'major gulf Arab oil producers. The UAE was the Gulf State most severely hit by Iran during the early stages...

Defense ministry of the United Arab?Emirates said Tuesday?that they detected two ballistic?missiles launched from?Iran. This is the first?such?incident?reported?since a strike on the Fujairah Port on May 4. One missile was said to have fallen in territorial waters while the other one fell outside. Iran has not yet responded to the report. The missile launch comes as the 60-day window of U.S.-Iranian talks ended?on?Monday without a breakthrough. This has raised fears of a re-escalation of the conflict, which has caused shipping to be disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz ever since?February. The defense ministry said that it was "fully prepared to...

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow on ?Tuesday with Myanmar's junta chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, ?discussing a wide range of issues including prospective energy deals. Min Aung Hlaing's first visit to a non-neighboring country since becoming Myanmar president in April is Russia. This shows the deepening of ties between the two countries in response to the pressures from the West. After the meeting, Putin called Min Aung Hlaing a friend of Russia, and said that the two countries are cooperating in a variety of sectors including energy, defence, and even space exploration. Putin said that Russia and Myanmar...

In its most recent tender, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. sold at least 14,000,000 barrels of'spot crude' to Asian refiners for premiums. ADNOC had issued its eighth tender?since? the start of June, as the state oil company of the United Arab Emirates continued to try and move crude produced within the Strait of Hormuz despite persistent shipping delays. ADNOC has now sold more than 108 million barrels of crude oil through eight different tenders. Sources said that Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil purchased 2 million barrels on Upper Zakum crude at a price premium of $10.50 per barrel over Dubai's benchmark...

The flow of money into emerging markets has not been affected by war, tariffs or AI fluctuations. Instead, reforms, local capital markets that are deeper and a diversification away from U.S. investments have reshaped the asset class. Investor demand has not been deterred by global shocks, which once caused sharp sell-offs in developing economies. Emerging market debt is at its highest level for more than a decade and governments are issuing record amounts of bond. The improvement of policy, the strengthening of foreign exchange reserves and the growth in domestic investor pool have all helped to cushion countries against shocks....

Ukraine announced on Saturday that its long-range attacks had 'hit a Russian airfield and a rocket centre, which Kyiv claims supports a nascent Starlink satellite internet network in Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Flamingo missiles had struck the rocket center, located about 900 kilometers (560 miles), from Ukraine's borders, as part Kyiv’s campaign to pressurize Moscow to end its four-year long war by targeting deep within Russia. "It's important to reduce Russia's military potential." In a blog post, he stated that peace is needed in Russia and it must be visible through damage to'specific facilities. He...

SK Group Chairman, Chey 'Tae-won, has appealed a South Korean court ruling? ordering him to?pay 944 billion won ($668.52 mln) in a divorce settlement record, according to the Yonhap News Agency, citing his attorneys. The Seoul High Court ruled late in July that Chey'should' make the cash payment in order to divide marital assets while retaining his shares of SK Inc., the holding firm of South Korea’s second largest conglomerate. The Supreme Court ruled that the alleged 'funds' from Roh Taewoo, the former president of South Korea, were not protected contributions by law. Chey’s appeal could prolong a closely-watched case,...

Reliance Industries announced a partnership with Britain's Rolls-Royce on Friday to develop and produce an engine for India’s fighter jet programme. The?country is aiming to build its most advanced stealth combat aircraft. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft prototype is expected to be ready in 2028. It will play an important role in India's air combat strategy. India approved last year a framework to build its most advanced stealth jet fighter and invited interest by defence firms weeks after a conflict with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed neighbor. The country has also approved the model of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a...

India's equity benchmarks fell this week, after two weeks of gains. The lingering unrest in the Middle East and high crude oil prices dampened risk appetite for stocks in the world's third largest crude importer. This week, the Nifty 50? fell 0.8% to 24,366 while the BSE Sensex dropped 0.6% to 78.009.25. They ended Friday with little change. Brent crude prices rose 4.6% this week to $87 a barrel, due to the lack of progress made in peace talks between Iran and the U.S. to end a long-running war in the Middle East. The U.S. said on Thursday that it...

The Industry Ministry in Seoul announced that TerraPower and South Korea’s SK Innovation had signed a preliminary agreement on small modular reactors. This will allow the SK Group affiliate to participate in TerraPower's domestic and international projects. According to the ministry, Bill Gates and Chey Tae Won, Chairman of SK Group, signed the agreement at a Seoul meeting with Industry Minister Kim Jung Kwan. According to the ministry, the deal allows SK Innovation (the parent company of South 'Korea's biggest oil refiner) to participate in developing 'TerraPower's SMR project in the United States as well as overseas. The ministry did...

On Friday morning, fighter jets participating in a NATO air defense mission reportedly'shot down' a drone which had entered the airspace of Latvia - a member state of NATO and European Union. A threat to airspace in the vicinity of Russia was also raised by the armed forces. Finland, a member of the EU and NATO that shares a border in part with Russia, has temporarily restricted aviation and maritime traffic to certain areas within the eastern Gulf. This is a precautionary move against drones. The armed forces of Latvia did not immediately disclose any details about the drone's origin...

Gold prices fell Thursday, as investors took profits after the price of gold climbed to an 'over two-month high on a surprise U.S. Treasury's announcement of liquidity support for long-duration bond, which weakened the dollar and sent Treasury rates lower. By 0604 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.7% to $4,487.63 an ounce. Bullion was earlier at $4,525.79. This is its highest price since June 2 after a more-than-4% gain on Wednesday. U.S. Gold Futures was?little different at $4,545.60. Treasury Department announced that it would double its liquidity support 'buyback operations' for bonds and notes with longer maturities. This came...

Copper prices fell on Thursday but remained?above $14,000 per metric ton, as increased inventories at the London Metal Exchange (LME), eased supply concerns, and countered the?support of sharp drops in the dollar. The benchmark three-month copper price on the LME fell 0.04% to $14,043.5 per ton at 0300 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract edged up 0.15% to 107140 yuan (15,934.20 USD) per ton. The LME copper stocks rose another 12,425 tons on Wednesday. This alleviated concerns about supply caused by outflows into the?U.S. Warehouses are being prepared in anticipation of a possible tariff on refined copper....

Indian?shares declined on Wednesday as high crude oil prices and rising global bond yields dampened appetite for risk assets globally. The Nifty 50 index has dropped for seven consecutive sessions, the longest losing streak since 11 months. Its drop of 2.1% is over this period. The BSE Sensex fell in six of seven sessions by 2.1%. The Nifty 50 fell 0.32% on the day to 24,078.30, and the Sensex dropped 0.42% at 76,909.68. Sudeep Shah, SBI Securities' head of technical research and derivatives, said that the Indian market has a weakened appetite for risk, with the Nifty index experiencing a...

Executives and analysts say that Indian steel mills face increasing pressure on their margins due to higher "coking coal" prices as a result of the Iran War and supply disruptions in Australia and China. India, after China the largest crude steel producer in the world, imports 95% of its coal, at least half from Australia. Nearly 40% of the cost of steel production is accounted for by coking coal. Indian steelmakers are increasing their spending in order to meet the strong domestic demand, driven by infrastructure development and economic growth. This could lead to squeezed margins and a delay in...

Investors are awaiting the minutes of the U.S. The Federal Reserve's meeting in July will provide new clues about its outlook for monetary policy. Spot gold remained unchanged at $4,337.59 an ounce as of 0558 GMT, after dropping nearly 2% Tuesday due to higher Treasury rates, while U.S. Gold Futures fell 0.7% to $4391.20. U.S. yields have backed off their earlier highs after a global bond sale saw long-term borrowing rates in major economies reach the highest levels in decades. Kelvin Wong is a senior analyst at OANDA. He said that the reduced expectations of Federal Reserve interest rates increases...

Indian?shares declined on Wednesday as high crude oil prices and rising global bond yields dampened appetite for risk assets worldwide. As of 9:45 a.m. IST, the Nifty '50 fell 0.35%, to?24.070.65, and the BSE Sensex dropped 0.32%, to 76.991.33. In the six previous sessions, the 50-stock index has dropped by 1.7%. 13 of 16 major sectors posted losses. Small-caps and middle-caps both fell by 0.5%. U.S. president Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran. He also insisted that the 'Strait of Hormuz is open, contrary to Iran's claim that the waterway remains closed for?shipping. Brent...

Prices of copper fell on Wednesday as a large increase in warehouse stocks pushed supply concerns that had supported prices to the background. By 0300 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.06% to $13,978 per metric tonne. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 1.02%, to 106 880 yuan per ton. Ed Meir, Marex consultant, wrote that copper was "tripped" by a surprise increase in inventories at the LME. The LME data on Tuesday and Monday showed total copper stock The number of large parcels delivered to warehouses increased by...

Rusal, the Russian aluminium giant, reported a?first-half adjusted net loss?on a Wednesday. This was due to a?rise in?aluminium?prices?linked to increased global volatility. The largest aluminum producer in the world outside of China posted a net profit of adjusted $196 million during the six months ended June 30. This is a dramatic turnaround from a $194 million loss a year earlier. Revenue increased by 10.9%, to $8.34 Billion. "Aluminium Prices?surged up to four-years highs in just a few months and then 'rapidly returned to their initial point," said Chairman Bernard Zonneveld. In many markets, where Rusal was a reliable and responsible...

China is now a major swing?supplier for aluminium in a Western market reeling from the loss production in the Gulf due to the Iran War. The top aluminium producer in the world has increased exports of metals, alloys and semi-manufactured goods (semis) to help cushion the impact on the global supply chains. China views the timing as fortunate. The national production has reached record levels, despite a slowdown in domestic demand. While China's exports may have temporarily relieved the market, a long-term problem could be lurking. Mind the Tax Gap Tax code is the primary factor that determines the composition...

The fact that China's steel production dropped to its lowest level this year in July supports the idea that the world's second largest economy struggles for growth momentum. As usual, the devil lies in the details. Steel demand is unevenly distributed across the economy. The world's biggest producer of industrial metal saw its steel output fall to 76.93 metric?tons during July. This is a 3.6% drop from the same period in 2025, and it was the lowest July since 2017. China's first seven months of the year saw a production volume of 577.04 millions tons, down by 3.1% compared to...

Gold prices fell on Tuesday due to?higher Treasury rates and oil prices?. Traders were also waiting for the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting in July for clues about the future interest rate outlook. As of 0624 GMT spot gold fell 0.4%, to $4397.42 an ounce. U.S. futures for delivery in December dropped 0.5%, to $4452.90. The yields on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes extended gains and raised the opportunity costs of holding non-yielding gold. Prices of oil?increased after Iran announced it would adopt a 'fully offensive' military posture following a breakdown in negotiations to end the...

The market was digesting a string of disappointing economic reports from China and the U.S., as well as the fact that a truce between Iran and the U.S. had expired with no longer-term agreement. Benchmark 'three-month' copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.39% to $14,102 per metric ton at 0300 GMT. Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 1.19%, to 107 690 yuan (15,971.58) per ton. After copper prices reached a six-month peak on Monday, disappointing economic indicators in China drew attention to the demand outlook. "Weaker-than-expected economic ?data in China weighed on sentiment across the base metals...