Australia / New Zealand

The world stock market was looking to return to record levels on Thursday, following the end of the U.S. shutdown which is the longest ever recorded. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen, under pressure from the US dollar and the euro hit record lows. The STOXX 600 index in Europe had a difficult day. A near 1% increase from France's CAC 40 pushed both indexes up to their highest levels before profit-taking and a 5% drop by German engineering giant Siemens brought it down. The U.S. Stock Futures fluctuated from a slight negative to a 0.2% gain, but the 47-country MSCI All...

The world stock market was looking to return to record levels on Thursday, following the end of the largest government shutdown in history. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen, which is under increasing pressure due its devaluation against the euro and the dollar has reached a new record low. The STOXX 600 index in Europe made a steady debut with a nearly 1% increase from France's CAC 40, pushing both indexes up to their all-time highs and offsetting the more than 4% drop from German engineering giant Siemens reported disappointing earnings. The U.S. Stock Futures fluctuated from a slight negative to a...

The world stock markets rallied Wednesday, with European markets reaching record highs. This was as the U.S. Congress appeared to be ending a government shutdown. It cleared the data fog which had fuelled economic uncertainty in the U.S. As the yen fell to its lowest level in nine months against the dollar, officials made more comments. The STOXX 600 index in Europe and the FTSE 100 index in London both hit new highs, mainly due to banks. Meanwhile, U.S. futures indicated a positive opening on Wall Street, and Japan's Nikkei closed 0.4% up. U.S. JOBS DATA IS EXPECTED The Republican-controlled...

The U.S. Congress appeared to be on track to end the shutdown, and traders were looking for guidance in the absence any government data. The broadest MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan rose by 0.4%, as House of Representatives members prepared to vote on legislation that would restore funding for government agencies and bring an end to the shutdown which began on October 1, and is the longest in U.S. History. Analysts from Westpac stated in a report that "Sentiment improved" after the U.S. Senate approved a bill ending the longest U.S. Government shutdown ever. The House is expected...

Asian stocks rose Tuesday, while gold and Nasdaq enjoyed their biggest gains in months on signs that a deal would be reached to end the U.S. Government shutdown. Gold rose by nearly 3% over night and was comfortably above the $4,100 mark in Asia's morning. The Nasdaq gained 2.3%, recovering much of the losses caused last week by nerves about the valuation and profitability for AI firms. South Korea's Kospi also recovered from last week's losses and gained 2.1% early in trade. Japan's Nikkei increased 0.7%. Hong Kong and China's markets opened higher. S&P futures rose 0.1%. The Senate cleared...

The dollar was stable and government bond yields were rising. Global shares rose Monday on the back of optimism that a resolution to a historic U.S. shutdown is in sight. On Sunday, the U.S. Senate advanced a measure that would reopen federal government and put an end to a shutdown of 40 days. The shutdown has caused federal workers to be unable to work and food aid delays and slowed air travel. In a procedural motion, the Senate advanced a bill passed by the House. The amended version will fund government operations until January 30, and includes a package of...

On Monday, global shares rose amid optimism that the U.S. government's historic shutdown is nearing an end. Yields also rose and the dollar continued to suffer losses from the previous week. On Sunday, the U.S. Senate advanced a bill aimed at reopening federal government. The measure would end a 40-day shutdown which has impacted federal workers and food aid. It also slowed down air travel. In a procedural motion, the Senate advanced a bill passed by the House. The amended version will fund government operations until January 30, and includes a package of 3 full-year appropriations. The Nasdaq futures gained...

The dollar continued to suffer from losses last week, despite the optimism of a possible end to the historic U.S. shutdown. On Sunday, the U.S. Senate moved toward a vote to reopen the federal government. This came a day after Senate majority leader John Thune announced that bipartisan discussions in the chamber had taken a positive direction. Nasdaq Futures gained 1.1%, while S&P500 futures increased by 0.65%. The Nikkei, Japan's stock market index, rose 1% and MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 0.9%. Charu Chanana is the chief investment strategist of Saxo. The Senate may pass the bill...

Investors worried about the sustainability and growth of artificial intelligence stocks, while U.S. Treasury rates dipped. The Nasdaq has fallen about 3% this week. Chip stocks and other tech-related shares have also been among the worst performers. As optimism about AI drove markets to new highs, the Nasdaq gained more than half since April when U.S. president Donald Trump announced tariffs. The Financial Times, however, reported earlier this week that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang warned the U.S. to be prepared for China's victory in the AI race. We're still seeing the AI selloff after our comments... about China winning in...

Investors worried about the sustainability and growth of artificial intelligence stocks, while U.S. Treasury rates dipped. The Nasdaq has fallen about 3% this week. Chip stocks and other tech-related shares have also been among the worst performers. As optimism about artificial intelligence drove markets to new highs, the Nasdaq gained more than half since April when U.S. president Donald Trump announced tariffs. The Financial Times, however, reported earlier this week that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had warned the U.S. about China's potential to beat it in the AI race. We're still seeing the AI selloff after our comments... about China...

Investors became uneasy over the extent of the artificial intelligence rally, and yen and bonds were stable. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were up about 0.3% by the afternoon in Asia. This was after a Nasdaq drop of 1.9% on Thursday. The world's largest tech index has fallen 2.8% this week, and if that trend continues, it will be the biggest drop in a single week since April when tariffs were first announced. Since then, the Nasdaq index has gained over 50%. European futures and FTSE Futures both fell by 0.3%. Japan's Nikkei dropped 1.2%, resulting in a loss of...

Investors' concerns over stretched valuations eroded confidence in the early trading of Wednesday, as Asian stocks continued to fall overnight on Wall Street. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell by 0.8%. South Korean shares were the biggest losers, with a drop of 4.1%. U.S. E-mini Futures fell 0.4% after the S&P500 dropped 1.2% overnight. Chris Weston is the head of research for Pepperstone Group, based in Melbourne. There aren't a lot of reasons to buy, and the market is lacking a catalyst until Nvidia announces its earnings on November 19. The stock market is retreating after reaching record...

The Australian miner Syrah said Monday it had reached an agreement with Tesla to extend a deadline for addressing alleged non-compliance of their graphite contract, the second in two months. Elon Musk's automaker, Tesla, issued a default notification in July because Syrah had allegedly failed deliver active anode samples that were conforming from its Louisiana facility processing Tesla's batteries. Syrah stated that the original deadline of September 16, which was originally extended to November 15, has been further pushed back to January 16, 2020. The company stated that "Syrah has not accepted it is in breach of the offtake contract,...

Australian shares dropped nearly 1.5% Friday, sinking in a sea red and reaching their lowest level since July, as miners, financials, and fading expectations for a domestic interest rate cut this summer weighed on benchmark. S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 1.5% at 2348 GMT to 8,623.30. The benchmark index fell 0.5% Thursday. The index fell by 1.7% this week, on course for a third consecutive weekly decline. This was due to the weakness of major banks after the earnings announcements from Commonwealth Bank and the Thursday jobs data. The Labor Report reinforced expectations that Reserve Bank of Australia would hold rates...

Ibram, a Brazilian mining lobby group, said on Thursday that the law firm Pogust Goodhead would have to refund 811,000 pounds (about $1 million) after it dropped a London lawsuit filed against Ibram over a dam disaster in 2015. This amount is due to Ibram for the costs incurred as part of a lawsuit filed by 25 Brazilian municipalities represented by PG regarding the collapse of a Samarco dam, a joint-venture between Vale, BHP and Vale, that killed 19 people and contaminated a major river. A London court will announce its decision regarding BHP's responsibility in this case on Friday....

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited the Simandou Iron Ore Mine Project in Guinea this past week. The project, which is 75% owned by China, will be the largest iron ore mine in the world, with a production capacity of 120 million tons per year. It will also be key to the green transformation in the global steel industry. Xinhua reported that the Chinese vice-premier called the project a result of the friendship and cooperation of China with Guinea and Africa for nearly 70 years. He added that the project would contribute to Guinea’s...

Liontown Resources announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with German digital commodity platform Metalshub for online auctions of spodumene from its Kathleen Valley Lithium project in Western Australia. After the announcement, shares of the Australian lithium mining company soared up to 5.7% to A$1.31, their highest level since the middle of 2024. This outperformed a 0.2% increase in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200. This tie-up aims to digitalise and streamline spot sales while promoting market pricing, as lithium buyers and producers adopt auction formats. The project will see the first 10,000 metric ton digital sale on November 19. Liontown plans...

Guinea's mines minister has told reporters that the country will accelerate the development of iron ore pellet and alumina refineries to stop decades of raw ore shipments. The first shipments of iron ore from the huge Simandou mine are expected this week. The World Bank stated in July that alumina and ore processing within Guinea could be a game changer for the country's economy, creating industrial jobs while reducing Guinea's exposure to swings in commodity prices. Guinea exports about 60% of its bauxite to China as a feedstock, and a third is iron ore from the Simandou Mine, which is...

Marubeni Corp, a Japanese company, announced on Monday that it would invest in an Australian mineral sands development project run by RZ Resources. This follows in the footsteps JX Advanced Metals of Japan who struck a similar agreement with RZ Resources earlier this year. Marubeni has agreed to pay A$15m ($9.75m) towards options that will grant it up 5% of the equity in RZ's Copi Mineral Sands Mine Project in New South Wales, as well as certain marketing rights if the feasibility of the project is confirmed. RZ, the owner of the Copi project, as well as a mineral separation...

According to a memo sent to Newmont's staff, the company has reduced its workforce by 16% as part of restructuring after acquiring Australian miner Newcrest. In the memo, it was stated that the reductions included job eliminations, vacancies unfilled, and changes in role levels. This reflected efforts to streamline operations, and integrate both companies. Newmont purchased Newcrest for $17 billion in 2023. Following the acquisition, Canada's largest gold producer, sold over $2 billion worth of Canadian assets. It also cut jobs, and reduced debt to reduce non-core operations. Newmont, as part of its integration process, launched a revamp project known...

China's imports of iron ore in October were above 100 million tonnes for the fifth consecutive month. This was due to robust shipments, boosted by rising prices and a resilient demand by the world's biggest consumer. The General Administration of Customs reported on Friday that China imported 111.3 millions metric tons of this key ingredient for steelmaking last month. The volume in October was higher than the 103.84 millions tons recorded in the same month of 2024. It was also the second highest total for the year so far, despite the fall of 4.32% since the record high monthly in...

Australian shares were little altered on Friday as gloomy performances in the financial sector following a disappointing profit half-year from Macquarie, a top investment bank, partially offset gains in local stocks in energy, real estate and healthcare. As of 2349 GMT the S&P/ASX 200 was flat at 8,826.80, and is on course for its second consecutive weekly loss if current momentum continues. Macquarie Group shares fell 5.5%, their lowest level in over five months. The lender missed expectations on its half-year profits due to a lacklustre commodity division. CBA, the top lender in Australia, lost 0.8% and ended a winning...

The UK's FTSE 100 remained flat on Wednesday, as the losses of heavyweight banks were countered by gains in energy shares. Investors are now focusing on a Bank of England rate decision this week and on more corporate earnings. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index remained flat at 9712.2 by 1126 GMT. The rise in crude oil prices led to a 0.3% increase for heavyweight oil and gas companies. Standard Chartered, Barclays and other banks trimmed gains in the broader index. Personal goods were the leading gainers with a 1.6% increase. Precious metal miner's fell 2%. The Bank of England will...

Australian shares dropped for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, as investors shifted from commodity stocks to banks in search of stability and higher returns amid the cautious policy stance of Australia's central bank. The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.1%, closing at 8,802 points. This is its lowest level since September-end and it now stands 313.2 points lower than its record high of 9115.20 points hit on October 21, 2010. Fortescue fell 2.5% due to lower iron ore, and Rio Tinto too. Gold stocks fell 1.1%, as the sector that recently propelled ASX200 to record levels dropped to follow bullion's...