Australia / New Zealand

Asian shares dropped on Thursday, as chipmakers stumbled before results from bellwether TSMC. Bonds benefited 'from another benign reading of U.S. inflation which?lessened risk of an impending rate hike. As hostilities escalated in the Middle East, oil prices continued to rise. Washington has continued to strike Iran following the re-imposition of a naval blocade on its ports. Meanwhile, Tehran has warned of an "existential conflict" with America. Brent crude futures increased 0.6% to $85.45 per barrel, adding to the 12% gain this week. The quarterly earnings of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), world's leading manufacturer of advanced AI chip, are...

The stock market rose on Wednesday, bonds were stable and oil was down as the U.S. dropped its plan to tax shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea's volatile KOSPI index jumped 6%, while Japan's Nikkei climbed 1%. However, volume was low and mood nervous due to the slowdown in AI stocks. ASML, Europe’s most valuable company, and the world’s largest supplier of chipmaking machinery, has beaten revenue expectations, and will likely set the tone for the European Open. The European futures declined by 0.2%, the FTSE futures dropped 0.3% and Nasdaq Futures rose 0.8%. The U.S. consumer price...

U.S. Stock Futures traded in choppy trade on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was reinstating its ban on Iranian shipping. Investors also 'picked through' the earnings reports from Wall Street’s largest banks. The U.S. Military carried out strikes against Iran overnight. President Donald Trump reinstated the blockade of Iranian ships and proposed charging a fee of 20% to guard Strait of Hormuz. S&P futures were 0.1% lower during early European trading, while Nasdaq's futures remained 0.5% higher. Brent crude futures rose around $2.80 to $86.19 per barrel, the highest since mid-June. U.S. Crude Futures rose $1.60...

Oil hit a new one-month high on Tuesday in Asian trading after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would reintroduce its blockade of Iranian ships and collect a?20%?fee for cargo crossing the Strait of Hormuz. After a volatile session MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 0.2% as gains in Taiwan were offset by gains for South Korean stocks. S&P 500 futures e-mini edged up 0.1%. The CSI 300, which tracks Chinese stocks, rose 2% as export and import figures for June were released on Tuesday. These data exceeded economists' predictions. ING analysts reported in a research note...

Tuesday, oil prices rose and stocks fell in Asian trading after Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would re-impose its blockade of Iranian ships in the Gulf and charge a 20% surcharge on all cargo crossing Strait of Hormuz. After a volatile session, MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell 1.7%. The biggest declines were in South Korea and Taiwan, where shares at their lowest points exceeded 3%. Japan's Nikkei fell by 0.8% while S&P500 e-minis futures declined by 0.3%. The CSI 300, the benchmark for Chinese stocks, fell 0.4% less than the regional index after Tuesday's export and...

Oil prices rose by more than 5% Wednesday, while global stock and bond markets fell as investors fled risky assets after U.S. president Donald?Trump declared that the Gulf Conflict was over following the signing of a memorandum with Iran. Trump said that he didn't want to engage Tehran. He was speaking in Ankara, Turkey, ahead of the NATO summit. He said that dealing with Iran was a waste. After the U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged attacks in Gulf, market sentiment was already fragile. Brent crude futures jumped 5% to $78 per barrel, the biggest gain in a single day since...

Oil prices jumped by over 3% Wednesday, bond prices fell as U.S. sanctions against Iranian crude oil?threatened a ceasefire. Stocks wobbled due to concerns that the record AI rally might be losing its buyers. Brent crude futures rose 3.3% to $76.54 per barrel, the highest gain in a single day since May. Although this was far below the peak of $120 at the height of fighting, it was still enough to introduce a new inflation risk in the bond market. Jason Wong is a senior strategist with BNZ Wellington. "Obviously, the market does not like these attacks... But it's still...

On Wednesday, oil prices rose as U.S. sanctions against Iranian oil and renewed fighting in the Middle East threatened the ceasefire. Stocks were shaky because the record-breaking AI rally is running out of buyers. Brent crude futures rose 3.2% to $76.54 per barrel, which is still a far cry from the wartime peaks above $120, but it's enough to cause a stir in the bond markets by increasing inflation risks. This is especially true since months of conflict has reduced global inventories. Jason Wong is a senior strategist with BNZ Wellington. He said: "Obviously, the market does not like these...

Bond futures fell and oil prices rose after the U.S. imposed trade sanctions on Iran following the attacks on tankers at the Strait of Hormuz. Stocks wobbled, as the momentum from the record-breaking AI rally waned. U.S. crude oil futures rose 2.7% to $72.40 per barrel, while 10-year Treasury futures fell seven ticks. Traders priced in the rising risk of inflation and interest rate increases. Jason Wong is a senior strategist with BNZ Wellington. He said that the market does not like these attacks, but it's still not in full panic mode. He said that the past few months have...

The global stock market fell on Tuesday, as investors remained concerned about the sustainability if the AI-driven rally. Oil prices also rose due to renewed Middle East tensions. In early trading on Tuesday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 0.97% while the S&P500 dropped 0.32%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average remained flat. The stock market took a hit despite Samsung Electronics' forecast of a 19-fold increase in operating profit from April to June, which reached 89.4 trillion dollars ($58.4billion), the third consecutive quarter that it had achieved a record operating profit. The results did not reassure investors but rather sparked heavy...

Wall Street gained in the midday trade on Monday, largely due to continued optimism about chip stocks. Oil fell as a result of an expected surge in supply. All three major U.S. indexes rose in the early afternoon after European stocks had flirted earlier with'record peaks' before retreating, ahead of the crucial earnings season for AI. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.07% to 52,938.04, while the S&P 500 rose by 0.73% to 7,537.75, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.25% to 26,155.56. The MSCI index of global stocks rose 0.45% to 1,128.87. Global AI continued to dominate the markets. South...

Stocks rose in the Asian session on Friday, after a lukewarm U.S. jobs report cast doubts over the prospects of a Federal Reserve rate hike. Regional activity gauges also pointed to an expansionary economy during June. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan, which had been in decline for two days straight, rose 2.2% after a shaky beginning. South Korea's Kospi fluctuated between gains and losses before surging by more than 6%, as buyers snapped up battered chipset stocks. S&P 500 futures rose by 0.4% while Japan's Nikkei reversed its early losses and traded 1.2% higher. The latest data from...

BHP Group reported record iron ore production and higher realised prices on Friday, despite the purchasing restrictions imposed by China Mineral Resources Group during tense contract talks earlier this summer. BHP's Western Australia iron ore operations produced 291.2 Mt of iron ore on a 100 percent basis, which is higher than the 290 Mt. In fiscal 2026, the average realized price for iron increased by 3% to $84.56 a wet ton. BHP didn't mention any price impacts from its annual negotiation with China's State Buyer, after reporting in April that?its biggest client had lifted its prohibition on certain products. China's...

Codelco's chairman Bernardo Fontaine stated on Wednesday that the lithium project at?the Maricunga flat salt will become a reality in eight years. The state-owned copper company Codelco, along with its partner Rio Tinto, manages the Maricunga Lithium project. Fontaine stated that the agreement had not been signed because certain conditions were still to be met. Some of these conditions have already been met, while others are pending on an international level. The executive said that the joint venture agreement "awaits regulatory approval" from Chile and China, after receiving?antitrust approvals with no conditions from Brazil and South Korea, and Poland. The...

Rio Tinto announced better-than expected second-quarter iron-ore sales on Wednesday, supported by strong system performance, putting it on track to achieve its annual forecast. Visible Alpha's consensus estimate of 83.6 Mt was surpassed by the world's largest producer of iron ore, which sold 85.3 Mt of the steel-making material from its Pilbara operations during the three months ending June 30. This compares to 79.9 Mt sold in the same quarter of last year. The average price in the first half of its Pilbara operations increased to $85.2 per wmt on a free-on-board basis, up from $83.2 last year. Rio's copper...

China's exports of unwrought aluminum and products?reached a new record in June, according to data from the official customs released on Tuesday, as?war?disruption?to supplies and shipments from the Gulf region?continued. The data revealed that export volume rose above 700,000 metric tons for the very first time in June. Shipments increased 12.5% from the 632,000 tons in May, and 45.4% over 489,000 tons from a year earlier. Exports of unwrought aluminum and products rose by 16.3% in the first half of 2026 compared to a year ago, reaching 3.4 millions tons. The June shipments are a continuation of the previous acceleration...

Northern Minerals announced?on?Tuesday that Australian Treasurer, Jim?Chalmers, has ordered three 'offshore 'investment firms - including Hong Kong Ying Tak - to refrain from exercising voting rights within the rare earths developer. Foreign Investment Review Board of Australia (FIRB) has said that Hong Kong Ying Tak and?British Virgin Islands registered Real International Resources as well as Hong Kong registered?Qogir Trading & Service have failed to comply to earlier government 'orders to reduce stakes in Northern Minerals. In May, Treasurer Chalmers?ordered offshore shareholders to divest by July?2 their?holdings over concerns that Chinese-linked groups were seeking control of rare-earths mining company. Ying Tak's...

Genesis Minerals announced that it had 'agreed' to buy smaller rival?Vault Minerals?in a transaction which would make Australia the third largest gold producer, with a market cap of approximately A$12.6billion ($8.71billion). Regis Resources dropped its pursuit of Vault after stating the terms required to match Genesis’ offer did not meet their value and return goals. The rival bid from 'Genesis,' announced last week, valued Vault at A$5.6 billion and was 15.7% higher than the closing price of Vault at that time. Due to the close proximity of their respective operations in Western Australia, Bardoc-Mount Monger and Leonora, the combination is...

These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. These?stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Regis Resources has said that it will not match Genesis Minerals' bid of US$3.9 billion for Vault Minerals, because a planned merger between the two gold-mining firms would no longer meet their thresholds in terms of value and return. Shein, the fast-fashion retailer, has cleared a major hurdle in its long-awaited Hong Kong initial public offer. The listing could be valued at over $40 billion according to people who are familiar with this matter. According to sources familiar...

Lynas?Earths 'announced on Tuesday that it had signed a deal with South Korea JS Link for the development of a magnet plant in Malaysia. JS Link, a magnet manufacturer in?South Korea, and the Malaysian factory planned by JS Link will receive rare-earth material from the Australian producer until January 2038. This partnership comes after a magnet manufacturing agreement between the two companies in last year. Under the new?deal, JS Link is going to establish a permanent magnet factory in Kuantan (Malaysia) with 3,000 tonnes of neodymium, iron, and boron (NdFeB). Lynas stated that it will invest a total of?about A$50m...

A report released by the Australian government on Friday stated that efforts made by China's iron ore buyer, which is backed by its state, to reduce?costs of Chinese steel mills could push prices down in the medium-term. This was a rare admission that such activities may affect earnings. Iron ore is Australia's largest export. It contributes significantly to the government's revenue. China purchases roughly three quarters of all seaborne trade. In its Resources and Energy Quarterly Report, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources said that state-backed China Mineral Resources Group has increased activity 'in the iron ore markets this...

Sources in the industry said that China's state buyer of iron ore has asked some domestic steel mills to not accept certain portside products of iron ore from Fortescue. This is the latest Australian miner to be snared by Beijing's efforts to 'increase' control over the market. Five sources familiar with the matter said that China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG), notified mills verbally on July 15th, they should not accept portside cargoes containing Fortescue’s Super Special Fines or Fortune Fines. These are both lower-grade products of iron ore. The move is part of CMRG’s campaign to assert its control over...

South32, an Australian company, announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to sell the'majority' of its aluminium assets for up to $5.6 billion. Alcoa acquired the individual interests of the diversified mining company in Australia's Worsley Alumina, South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium and Brazil's MRN Bauxite Mine, Brazil Alumina Refinery, and Brazil Aluminium Smelter. South32 said that the U.S. aluminium giant will also assume rehabilitation provisions of around $1.2 billion. Matthew Daley, the new CEO, said that "our business will be simpler, with a portfolio of upstream operations with higher margins, reduced complexity, and greater resilience." This will allow for a...

Guinea's mines minister said that the country aims to be a regional hub for gold refining. This is part of a wider push by West African producers to 'process bullion locally instead of exporting it into the Middle East. Gold prices are high, and the move aims to preserve more value for consumers at home. Bouna Sylla, Mines Minister Bouna Sylla said over the weekend that there was no problem if each country (in West Africa) had a refinery. "If you are not competitive in the market, your refinery will either fail or succeed due to economics and not politics."...