Australia

Asian shares reached a record high on Tuesday, as investors hoped that the U.S. earnings of large-cap companies would be positive. However, uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff moves against South Korea has boosted gold and Silver. Trump said late Monday that he will increase tariffs to 25% on imports of goods from Asia's 4th largest economy. The Nasdaq Futures rose 0.5% as investors prepared for the slew earnings that will be released by Microsoft, Apple, and Tesla on Wednesday. Even South Korea's KOSPI surged by over 2% and reached a new high. The EURO STOXX futures are pointing to...

Investors hoped that a barrage?U.S. Mega-cap earnings were a big factor, but uncertainty due to President Donald Trump's tariff moves against South Korea capped broader gains. Trump increased tariffs to 25% on autos, lumber, and pharmaceutical imports to the U.S. from Asia's 4th-largest economy. The Nasdaq Futures rose 0.2%, as investors prepared for the earnings of the Magnificent Seven, including Microsoft, Apple, and Tesla, on Wednesday. Even South Korea's KOSPI reversed earlier losses and was last to gain 0.8%. Silver surged 6.4% to $110.60 per ounce and is not far off the record set just on Monday. Christopher Louney is...

Gold surged above $5,000 per ounce?Monday. This was boosted by safety flows amid dollar strength following a turbulent last week, where investors were rattled by tensions regarding Greenland and Iran, while markets remained on edge after violent spikes of the yen. After sharp spikes in the yen on Friday, speculation about possible intervention grew. Sources say that the New York Federal Reserve checked rates on Friday. This raises the possibility of a joint U.S. and Japanese intervention to stop the currency's decline. The market is inclined to short the yen, but with the possibility of coordination it is no longer...

Asian stocks fell Tuesday as trade war concerns resurfaced and caused a sell-off in U.S. ?assets. Investors are rushing to secure assets such as the Swiss Franc or gold in response to U.S. president Donald Trump's threat to impose additional tariffs on Greenland. This could fuel trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Talk of the "Sell America" trade has been revived after the tensions. This is where investors sell U.S. stocks, dollars and Treasuries. The trade seemed to be gaining momentum during Tuesday's Asian hours. Nasdaq futures and S&P500 futures both fell 1% during the early trade. The dollar...

Asian stocks rose Wednesday, boosted by Japanese shares. Investors?prepared for a quick election in Japan, which could lead to fiscal stimulus. Worries about central bank independence, and 'benign U.S. data on inflation, whipsawed currencies. Gold prices reached a new record high as geopolitical tensions erupted across the globe. Oil prices also rose after U.S. president Donald Trump encouraged Iranians to continue protesting and said that help was on its way. Iran accused Trump, in turn, of inciting violence and encouraging political instability. Early Asian hours saw the Japanese yen at its lowest level since July 20,24, at 159.415 to the...

Dollar and Wall Street futures fell and gold rose?on monday as Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell claimed that the Trump administration threatened him with criminal charges over the refurbishment of the central bank's HQ. This has heightened concerns about the Fed’s independence from political influences and added to the?a?frenzied start to 2026. Already, the U.S. captured Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. They have also ramped up the talk of taking over Greenland. S&P futures dropped more than 0.5%. Meanwhile, safe-haven metals like gold - that investors use as a hedge against inflation and turmoil - reached another record high. Money markets have...

The dollar fell and U.S. stock futures dropped after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell claimed that the Trump administration had?threatened? him with a criminal investigation, fueling investor concerns about the independence of the central bank. S&P 500 futures were down 0.5%. European futures fell 0.1% during the morning of Asia. The dollar dropped 0.2% against the major currencies, dropping below 158 yen to $1.1660. The news, traders said, was unsettling. However the immediate impact on interest rates is not known. Benchmark 10-year Treasury Futures rose by 3 ticks, resulting in an implied yield (4.15%), which is about one basis point...

Global stocks edged up on Friday, ahead of an important U.S. report. Investors also awaited the Supreme Court's ruling on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs which shocked markets last year. Geopolitical tensions around the world have boosted oil and defence stocks. Traders will continue to be concerned about developments in Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland. The U.S. Supreme Court's possible ruling on tariffs will dominate Friday's news. The reduction of tariffs may impact U.S. revenue, driving Treasury yields up and causing new waves in volatility. Kyle Rodda is a senior financial markets analyst with Capital.com. He said that the Supreme Court's...

The major?stock indices were mixed on Thursday, and Treasury yields increased ahead of the key?U.S. Jobs report was mixed, but defense shares rose amid President Donald Trump's plans for a $1.5 trillion budget. The aerospace and defense index reached a record high. European defense shares also hit a new all-time high. Investors also watched developments in Venezuela, which led to a rise in oil prices. The U.S. forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Tuesday, the White House announced that Trump had also discussed options to acquire Greenland. "The defense budget is growing, if not increasing." Joe Saluzzi...

The European defence stocks rose to a "record high" on Thursday as oil prices and dollar gained ground. Geopolitical tensions rumbled from Venezuela to Greenland, keeping traders guessing. seizure Two Venezuelan-linked oil tanks in the Atlantic were reported alongside the news that U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio will?attend Meet?Denmark leaders Next week we will be discussing Greenland, and there are also some mixed economic statistics. STOXX, Europe's aerospace and defence stock index, has risen nearly 2% in the first hour of a fifth consecutive day of gains. They have already risen 13% so far this year and over 260% since Russia...

Oil prices remained stable?on Thursday, after a recent decline. Stocks fell as investors assessed the impact of escalating geopolitical tensions. labour market data. Top U.S. officials stated on Wednesday that the country must control Venezuela's oil sales and revenue indefinitely in order to stabilize the economy of the latter, rebuild its oil industry, and ensure that it acts in America’s interest. As part of Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to control oil flows in America, the U.S. also seized on the same day two Venezuelan-linked oil tanks in the Atlantic Ocean, including one that was sailing under the Russian flag. The...

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, capping off a year of rapid artificial intelligence-driven gains. Commodities such as gold and silver also extended their bullish trend to new highs, as 2025 approaches. Overnight, on Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at a record high as the long-elusive Santa Claus rally finally took hold. The U.S. economic data that showed the economy expanding at a faster rate than expected in the third quarter helped boost risk sentiment, but also weighed on bonds. Early Asian trading was dominated by gold and silver. Gold spot prices rose 0.8%, to $4,524 an ounce. This brings...

BHP, the global mining company, said that striking contract workers were disrupting an important route which?provides access? to Chile's Escondida copper mines and Zaldivar?copper?mines. This is causing problems with shift changes and a?intermittent vehicle traffic?. Workers employed by Finning, who have been on strike for the past month, have set up intermittent blocks on the roads leading to BHP’s Escondida mine and Antofagasta Minerals’ Zaldivar mining. BHP confirmed the roadblocks affected vehicle traffic at Escondida and shift changes. "Our company was affected by a conflict with a third party for four days. The blockades on the mining route have caused...

Evolution Mining, a gold producer in Australia, reported an increase in second-quarter production on Wednesday. This was due to strong performances?across virtually all assets. Its shares reached a record high. The shares of the company, which is majority owned by?AustralianSuper, the largest pension fund in the country, rose up to 9.18%, reaching a new record A$14.750. This was their biggest intraday gain percentage since August 14, 2024. Gold miner produced 191,000-ounces of the precious metal in the last quarter of the year. This compares to 174,000-ounces the quarter before. Evolution attributes the increase in output to a strong performance at...

Lynas Rare Earths, an Australian company, reported a 43% increase in revenue for the second quarter on Wednesday. Higher selling prices helped to offset a production shortfall due to power interruptions at their Western Australia processing plant. Western countries are scrambling to reduce their?dependence upon China, which has led to a rise in the price of rare earths. Australia is mulling over a new price floor, and new partnerships in order to support rare earth projects and create alternative supplies. The average price per kilogram of Lynas products was A$85.6 during the quarter. This is higher than A$49.2 a year...

Rio Tinto announced a 7% increase in its fourth-quarter iron-ore shipments, Wednesday. This was aided by a record quarterly production from the?Pilbara operation and strong rail and ports outload performances. Iron ore prices rose in the third quarter, boosted by a resilient demand from China, its top consumer, where strong steel exports helped to sustain buyer interest. Iron ore was shipped by the world's biggest producer of steel-making material, the Pilbara operation of Rio Tinto, in the three months ending December 31, up from 85.7 Mt last year. This exceeded the?Visible Alpha estimate of 88.2Mt. Rio shipped 326.3 metric tons...

On Tuesday, Australian shares recorded their worst session for over a week as rate hike fears shook heavyweight financials. Meanwhile, miners dropped after BHP warned that long-running negotiations with China's largest iron ore buyer are putting pressure on prices. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed at 8,815.90, a 0.7% decline. This is the steepest drop in a single day since December 15, 2025. Financials dropped by 1.1%. The four largest banks declined between 0.9% and 1.8%. According to Philip Pepe?, senior equities analysts at Shaw and Partners, the sector is losing momentum as investors are rotating out. He said that lower...

Australian shares dropped on Tuesday. Heavyweight miners, financial stocks and other sectors led the losses. Global risk sentiment was soured by escalating tensions following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose extra tariffs against Europe. As of 0007 GMT, the?S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.5% to?8,832.9. The benchmark closed Monday 0.3% lower. Overnight, global stocks fell as Trump announced he would add 10% to the tariffs imposed on eight European nations that oppose his takeover Greenland. U.S. stock markets were closed for a public holiday. S&P 500 Eminis futures fell 70.75 points or 1.01% early on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei dropped...

BHP has been denied permission to appeal a ruling that found it liable for a 2015 dam collapse in the southeast of Brazil. The London lawsuit could be worth tens or hundreds of millions of pounds. The London High Court ruled in November that BHP is legally responsible for collapse of Fundao Dam, located in Mariana (southeastern Brazil), which was owned by BHP's joint venture with Vale, Samarco. BHP's request for a?permission of appeal this ruling? was denied by High Court. BHP has said it will directly apply to the Court of Appeal. BHP's spokesperson stated in a press release...

BHP has been denied permission to appeal a ruling that they are 'liable for the collapse of a Dam in Southeastern Brazil?in 2015, as part of a London suit potentially worth tens of millions of pounds. The London High Court ruled in November that BHP is legally responsible for the collapsed Fundao Dam, located in Mariana (southeastern Brazil), which was owned by BHP and Vale's joint venture Samarco. BHP's request for permission to appeal this ruling was denied by the High Court. BHP may still apply directly to the Court of Appeal. After their initial win, the claimants' attorneys sought...

Syrah, an Australian company that supplies graphite to Tesla, announced on Monday that it had agreed to extend a deadline for a third time to resolve a dispute over a supposed breach of the agreement. The 2021 agreement, which will supply?8,000 metric tons of graphite per year for four years, is crucial to Syrah Vidalia's Louisiana operations as well as the company's plan to become the United States' first non-Chinese major supplier of this metal. Tesla, headquartered in Texas, issued the first default notice to Syrah in July 2025. The company claimed that Syrah failed to deliver active anode samples...

Mali's industrial?gold?output declined 22.9% in the year 2025 due to the long?suspension? of Barrick Mining operations because of a dispute about tougher mining regulations, according to preliminary figures released by the West African nation's Mines Ministry. Mali is one of Africa's biggest gold producers. It has been pushing for reforms to increase the value of this sector. This was enshrined into a mining code that was introduced in 2023. The government announced in December that a sweeping audit had led to the recovery by mining companies of arrears amounting to 761 billion CFA francs (US$1.2 billion). The tougher rules ruffled...

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group is China's largest jewellery retailer with thousands of shops across mainland China and Hong Kong. The group has begun to look further afield in search of new growth. It started?in Southeast Asia, with a brand-new store in Thailand. The company opened its flagship store at Bangkok's Siam Paragon, a luxury shopping and lifestyle center in Bangkok. This move is part a 'wave' of Chinese and Hong Kong brands moving abroad to offset slowing domestic demand and rising market saturation in the world’s second-largest economic powerhouse. Sonia Cheng said that the company's expansion abroad "sees strong...

Coal India, which is focused on coking coal, has been scouting for partnership opportunities to mine rare-earth metals in?Australia and Russia as well as Argentina, Chile, and several African nations, said a senior?executive from its unit. This move follows China's decision to restrict exports of rare-earth materials late last year. The restrictions threaten operations in industries such as autos and electronics, which rely on these?critical minerals. "In our own country as well as in other countries, we will?invest. We are going explore. We are also working with other companies to find rare earth metals. Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Chairman and Managing...