Asia / Pacific

Prices of copper rose on Monday as oil prices dropped after the U.S. & Iran ended hostilities. This eased 'concerns over price pressures and global economic growth. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.9% at $13,770 per metric ton of official rings. The Pentagon suspended its campaign against Iran on Friday after 13 nights of increasing airstrikes by the United States. Iran has been holding fire for the past two days after it had responded to each night's U.S. airstrikes with its own strikes on neighbouring countries which host U.S. base. The oil prices fell as the...

The stock and bond markets around the world staged a relief rally Monday, as easing Middle East conflict sent oil prices down and eased inflation concerns ahead of an upcoming week packed with central bank meetings and earnings announcements. U.S. president?Donald?Trump has halted the two-week long bombing campaign that was launched against Iran. According to reports, U.S. officials were concerned about the depletion in air defence weapons. Iran has said that it will halt its attacks as long as U.S. officials continue to fire. Brent crude fell 7.8% to $89.41 per barrel during the lull of fighting in the Strait...

As tensions in the Middle East eased, oil prices fell sharply and inflation fears were reduced. This was ahead of a busy week of central bank meetings and earnings reports. Iran announced on Sunday that it would cease?its? own attacks if the United States also did so. The U.S. Military was reportedly worried about the dwindling supply of ammunition. Brent crude fell 6.3% to $90.70 a barrel during the lull of fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. Crude dropped 5.7% to $74.12. On Monday, stock markets around the world staged a relief rally after fighting in the Middle...

Prices of copper rose on Monday as oil prices fell following the U.S.-Iran pause in their two-week long conflict, which eased concerns about inflationary risks for?global growth. The benchmark three-month 'copper' on the London Metal Exchange gained 0.32% to $13,688.5 per metric tonne by 0700 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract was up 0.31% to 105,050 Yuan ($15.523.64) per metric ton. The U.S. announced that it was halting its airstrikes against Iran after 13 nights of attacks. Tehran also said it would cease its attacks. Brent crude dropped more than 6% on Monday, after reaching $100 per...

As a result of the pause in fighting that occurred in the Gulf, oil prices fell. This lowered inflation risks as well as helped boost bonds before a week packed with central bank meetings and reports on earnings. Iran announced on Sunday that it would cease its attacks as long as the United States followed suit. The U.S. Military was reportedly worried about the dwindling supply of ammunition. Yemen's Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have still continued to attack Saudi oil installations on the Red Sea Coast, a threat to another vital waterway for the global oil trade. Sally...

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The Gulf has settled into a fragile truce as the U.S. military halted its attacks in part due to concerns that it was running low on ammunition. Iran also said that it would hold off until the U.S. Hold off. Investors have viewed the Houthis' attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities as a de-escalation step and have pushed Brent down 4%, to $92.80. The $100 mark seems to be where the U.S. blinks. Oil needs to remain close to this level to keep both...

Prices of copper rose on Monday as a result of a tentative?halt to fighting between the U.S.A. and Iran, and relief in the oil market. Benchmark three-month Copper on the London Metal Exchange gained 0.26% to $13,681 per metric ton at 0300 GMT. The most traded copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.27% to 105,010 Yuan ($15.515.43) per metric ton. After 13 nights of airstrikes, the U.S. announced that it was stopping its attacks on Iran. Tehran also said that it would cease its retaliatory strikes. Oil prices were able to recover a little from the?tentative ceasefire. Brent...

The Australian and New Zealand dollar strengthened on Monday, as hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the Middle East conflict sent oil price?lower. This eased inflation concerns and helped boost global bond markets. The Aussie gained 0.2%, to $0.7001, following a 0.3% gain on Friday. It is little changed from last week. The Aussie has moved away from its three-month-low of $0.6867. Resistance is seen at the one month peak of $0.7026. New Zealand's dollar rose 0.2%, to $0.5798, after finishing last week down by 1%. This was primarily due to losses against the Australian dollar. The 200-day moving median...

On Monday, Asian share markets rose as a pause between fighting in the Gulf brought oil prices down sharply. This lowered inflation risks and helped bonds. Iran announced on Sunday that it would cease 'its own attacks' as long as the United States followed suit. The U.S. army was reportedly worried about the dwindling supply of ammunition. Yemen's Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have still continued to attack Saudi oil installations on the Red Sea Coast, a threat to another vital waterway for the global oil trade. Sally Auld is the group chief economist for NAB. She said, "Net,...

Can India do the same for Asia's refined fuels market as China did with crude oil? China drastically cut its crude oil imports in June to a 10-year-low in response to the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. This freed up oil for buyers who were struggling to source cargoes due the the effective closing of the 'Strait of Hormuz. India is taking a different approach, purchasing 'Russian crude' and increasing exports of refined goods to offset the lower shipments coming from Middle East refineries and Russia. According to commodity analysts Kpler, India's light and middle distillates exports are expected...

Mike Dolan, Editor at Large, Finance and Markets, explains what matters today in U.S. markets. Alphabet's capital expenditure increase and earnings beat triggered a familiar response - the stock of Alphabet fell, while chip stocks rose. The hyperscaler beat the Street by posting more than 80% in its cloud business. However, it raised its capex expectations yet again, with AI-related investments now expected to exceed $200 billion this year. Below, I'll delve deeper into that and much more. Check out my most recent column about how the U.S. economy's K-shaped scale explains its resilience. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast...

The head of finance for Indian state refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp stated 'on Thursday that traders have stopped offering discounts to Russian crude sold to India due to disruptions in Middle -Eastern supply, which has boosted the demand for alternative grades. As Middle East oil supplies have been disrupted, refiners in India have increased their purchases of Russian crude oil. Vetsa Ramakrishna said that BPCL had secured crude supplies through August, and was looking for cargoes for September delivery. He said the company has received offers from traders for Russian oil cargoes to be delivered in September. He added, "But...

Indonesia's Presidential?staff Office has called for a?cooperation among government agencies, law-enforcement officials and the?industry? to resolve a regulatory void that has reportedly delayed exports of nickel and alumina products due to their rare-earth contents. Indonesia is one of the world's largest exporters of minerals, but it produces rare earths only as a minor by-product. No rules have been established yet to govern how much of these elements can be added to shipments of other mineral. Officials stated that exporters faced delays in their shipments on Monday due to the lack of clear regulations. Dudung Abdurachman, the Chief of Staff to...

Data?from Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department revealed?on a Monday that China’s net gold imports through Hong 'Kong had more than doubled in the past year, but dropped over 5% compared to last month. Data showed that the?world's largest gold consumer imported 50.679 tons of gold through Hong Kong via Hong Kong, compared to 53.674 tons from May and 19 366 tons by June 2025. Hong Kong data may not be a complete view of Chinese gold purchases because it is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing. China's total imports of gold via Hong Kong reached 78.147 tonnes in June,...

Gold prices rose on Monday, as a pause between?strikes by U.S. forces and?Iranian forces brought crude oil prices down. This helped ease inflation fears and concerns about higher interest rates a week before Fed policymakers meet. Spot gold rose 1% by 1030 GMT to $4.093.34 an ounce, while U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery climbed 0.6% to $4.095.60. "Precious Metals have begun the week in a positive way, thanks to a pause on Middle East hostilities. The dollar has also weakened, and the yields on U.S. Treasury bonds and oil have both slid," said Ross Norman, an independent analyst. The...

Prices of copper rose on Monday as oil prices dropped after the U.S. & Iran suspended their 'hostilities', alleviating concerns over price pressures and global growth. Benchmark 'copper' on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.32% to $13,688.5 per metric ton by 0700 GMT. The Pentagon suspended its campaign against Iran on Friday after 13 nights of increasing airstrikes by the United States. Iran has been holding a 'fire' for two days after it had responded to each night’s U.S. airstrikes with its own attacks on countries in the region that house U.S. bases. The oil prices fell as the ceasefire...

Gold prices rose on Monday as a pause between strikes?between U.S. forces and Iranian forces?helped?crude oil?price?fall. This helped ease inflation fears and concerns about the possibility of higher interest rates during a week when policymakers from the Fed will be meeting. Spot gold rose by 0.9% to $4.089.03 an ounce at 0805 GMT. U.S. gold futures for delivery in August also increased by 0.5%, to $4.090.80. "Precious Metals started the week in a positive way, thanks to a pause of hostilities in the Middle East. "Oil has fallen and both the dollar yields and U.S. Treasury yields are down," said...

Gold prices increased?more? than 1%?on?Monday, as a pause in Middle East hostilities?pushed oil?prices lower?and eased inflation concerns?before a Federal Reserve Meeting this week? By 0723 GMT, spot gold had risen 1.3% to $4103.59 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures rose 0.9% to $4106.00. Tim Waterer is the chief analyst at KCM Trade. He said, "Gold has benefited from the double price action in oil and U.S. dollars." The U.S. Dollar?index fell by 0.3%, making metals priced in greenbacks more affordable to other currency holders. A senior Iranian official said on Sunday that Iran would cease its attacks if the United States...

Iron ore prices fell on Monday as a result of a seasonal decline in demand for the commodity and shrinking steel margins. This was despite hopes that Beijing would announce stimulus measures later this week to boost the economy. The daytime trading price of the most traded iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was 741 yuan (109.50 dollars) per metric ton. As of 0800 GMT, the benchmark August iron ore price on Singapore Exchange was $97.6 per ton - a 0.56% decrease. After steel demand slowed down and margins shrank sharply, several Chinese steelmakers started equipment maintenance. The...

Gold prices rose on Monday, as investors waited to see what the U.S. Federal Reserve will do about its policy later this week. By 0421 GMT, spot gold had risen 0.9% to $4.087.79 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures rose 0.5% to $4089.90. Tim Waterer is the chief market analyst of?KCM Trade. The U.S. Dollar Index fell by 0.3%, making metals priced in greenbacks more affordable to other currency holders. Iran will halt its attacks if the United States also does so, a senior Iranian government official said on Sunday. After President Donald Trump's advisors informed him that they were running...

Two bankers familiar with the matter said on Monday that India's UltraTech Cement was in discussions?with merchant banks and arrangers about raising?its largest rupee bond funding. It is looking to tap the debt markets before the central bank makes its policy decision next Thursday. Sources who requested anonymity because the talks were still private said that the country's biggest cement producer by production capacity planned to raise 50 billion rupees (517.80 million dollars) in bonds with maturities of two-and a half years, three and a half years, and five years. The target is?15 billion each for the two shorter tranches,...

Gold prices rose by a little more than 1%?Monday, as oil prices fell due to a pause of Middle?East hostilities, easing inflation fears. Investors awaited U.S. Federal Reserve policy announcement. By 0200 GMT, spot gold had risen 1.4% to $4110.56 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures rose 1% to $41,112.10. Gold is clearly a beneficiary of today's dual price action of oil and the U.S. Dollar, which both dropped due to de-escalation expectations between the U.S. Tim Waterer said that lower oil prices are easing inflation concerns. The U.S. Dollar Index was down by 0.3%. This made greenback-priced gold more affordable...

Gold prices climbed on Friday as oil prices fell, and investors watched developments in the Middle East to get a better idea of inflationary risks fueled by energy, as well the outlook for U.S. rates. Spot gold increased 0.4%, to $4.061.36 an ounce, by 1115 GMT after falling 0.6% earlier. U.S. gold futures for delivery in August gained 0.3%, to $4.063.60. The gold price has moved from a negative to a slightly positive territory, driven by the lower oil prices. This reduces pressure on Fed to adjust rates, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. He added, "Our view is that the...

You wouldn't guess it by the price of aluminium. Two damaged Gulf smelters, and the resulting?logistical constraints at other smelters have already created a 2 million metric ton gap in the global supply chains. After surging to a 4-year high of $3,787.50 per tonne in early June, London Metal Exchange's (LME) 3-month aluminium now trades around $3,170 a tonne, exactly where it traded before the United States launched its "Operation?Fury", a joint strike with Israel against Iran, on February 28. Where did the war premium end up? Is the market right in being so'relaxed' about?the unprecedented shortage of a metal...