Australia / New Zealand

The dollar recovered its footing after it had fallen sharply on Tuesday, when U.S. president Donald Trump appeared to "shrug off" its recent weakness. Meanwhile, positive earnings kept the world stock market near record highs ahead of a Federal Reserve interest rate decision. The?U.S. The?U.S. European stock markets declined, but U.S. futures indicated a positive opening for Wall Street. Japan's blue chip Nikkei also gained. The MSCI World Stock Index was hovering at record highs. "Last Week, when it seemed like there was a flight away from the U.S., you saw equities fall, Treasuries take a hit, and the Dollar...

After a steep sell-off on Wednesday, the dollar found its feet. U.S. president Donald Trump seemed to shrug its recent weakness. Meanwhile, upbeat earnings kept global stocks near record levels?before? a Federal Reserve rate announcement. The U.S. dollar dipped from four-year lows, but sentiment was fragile after the biggest selloff since Trump’s tariffs blitz shook markets in April. European stock markets declined, but U.S. futures indicated a positive opening for Wall Street. Japan's blue chip Nikkei also gained. The MSCI World Stock Index was hovering at record highs. "Last weekend, when it seemed that there was a flight away from...

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...

U.S. Stock Futures fell on Monday, after President Donald Trump threatened to slap additional tariffs on 8 European nations until Greenland was allowed by the U.S. The?dollar dropped against the safe haven currencies of the Swiss franc and yen. Concerns about the impact of a full-blown trade war between Europe and the U.S. on global growth and demand led to a gold and silver price jump. The holiday on the U.S. equity markets and bond market led to thin trading, which likely contributed to a drop of 0.7% in S&P futures and 1.0% in Nasdaq. EUROSTOXX Futures and DAX Futures...

U.S. Stock Futures fell on Monday, after President Donald Trump said he would impose?extra tariffs? on eight European countries until the U.S. was allowed to purchase Greenland. This pushed the dollar lower against the yen (a safe haven currency) and the Swiss franc. The holiday on the U.S. bond and equity markets led to thin trading, which?likely? contributed to a drop of 0.9% in S&P futures and 1.1% in Nasdaq. Nikkei Futures also pointed to a weak start for Asian stocks. Trump announced that he will impose an additional 10% on imports of goods from Denmark and Norway. He also...

On Thursday, oil prices fell from their multi-month highs and gold, a safe-haven asset, eased from its record high after U.S. president Donald Trump 'calmed the market's anxiety over a possible U.S. war against Iran. Investors have been looking for bargains elsewhere in the market as they move away from high-flying names in chip and artificial intelligence. Currency markets paused to catch their breath after the yen fell overnight against the U.S. Dollar to its lowest level since July 2024. The yen then rebounded sharply amid warnings about possible Japanese intervention. Japanese bond yields have eased from record highs following...

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...

Multiple sources have reported that the Trump administration has backed away from its plans to guarantee a price minimum for U.S. vital minerals projects. This is a tacit acknowledgement of the lack of funding by Congress and complexity in setting market prices, they said. This shift comes at a time when a U.S. Senate Committee is reviewing a price floor granted to MP Materials in the past year. It represents a change from previous commitments to industry, and it could separate Washington from other G7 partners who are discussing some form of joint pricing support or similar measures to boost...

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Trump administration has backed away from its plans to guarantee a price minimum for U.S. vital minerals projects. This is a tacit acknowledgement of a lack in congressional funding as well as the difficulty of setting "market pricing". This shift comes at a time when a U.S. Senate Committee is reviewing a price ceiling extended to MP Materials in the past year. It represents a change from what was promised to industry. Washington could be a step behind other G7 countries who are discussing joint price support measures or similar measures to boost production...

Whitehaven Coal's shares reached a record high of three years on Thursday after registering a higher-than-expected rise of 13.5% in its second quarter output. This was aided by better mining conditions, and a higher output at its Queensland and New South Wales operation. As of 2329 GMT, shares of Australia's largest coal miner, Australia's independent coal mining company, rose by as much as 4% to A$9.59 - their highest level since January 2023. Meanwhile, the benchmark stock index fell 0.4%. After dragline-sequencing problems were resolved, production in?the region increased by 20% from a quarter ago. The earnings were supported by...

Iluka Resources, an Australian company, said it would recognise "two exceptional items" including a loss on its mineral sands business. This will cause its shares to experience their 'largest single-day drop in two months. Iluka said that the non-cash impairment charges for this segment are expected to be approximately A$350 (about $246.02 million) before taxes and will be included in its final results for 2025. The shares of the critical minerals mining company fell as much as 8.4%, to A$5.92. This was their lowest session since November 2025. The stock is the worst performing on the ASX 200 index which...

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...