Latest News

Asian stocks slide as geopolitical concerns sap self-confidence

Asian stocks fell on Tuesday as investors contemplated looming U.S. interest rate cuts and awaited incomes from AI darling Nvidia, while rising tensions in the Middle East and supply concerns examined threat sentiment and raised oil rates.

Gold rates were simply shy of a record peak, while the dollar firmed and the yen hovered near its highest in 3 weeks as financiers sough safety amidst geopolitical risks, with Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah exchanging fire on Sunday.

Also supporting crude rates was Libya's eastern-based federal government announcement of the closure of all oil fields, which halted production and exports.

Financiers are on edge ahead of Nvidia's earnings report on Wednesday, where anything except an outstanding forecast from the AI chipmaker could jolt investor self-confidence in the AI-fuelled rally.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.36% lower on Tuesday, inching far from the one-month high it touched in the previous session.

Japan's Nikkei alleviated 0.16%, while Chinese stocks were also on the back foot.

China's blue stock index CSI300 fell 0.28% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was 1% lower in early trading, dragged by lacklustre revenues from Temu-parent PDD Holdings due to lower customer spending.

Likewise weighing on sentiment was the relocation by Canada, following the lead of the United States and European Union, to impose a. 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electric cars and a 25%. tariff on imported steel and aluminium from China.

POWELL PIVOT

In an excitedly waited for speech, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome. Powell on Friday backed an impending start to interest rate. cuts, putting the focus on the Fed's September meeting.

With the Fed now securely in the chauffeur's seat, the marketplaces. will be on an extreme data enjoy, said Gary Dugan, CEO of the. International CIO Workplace.

Investor focus will be on the U.S. individual intake. expenditure cost index - Fed's preferred gauge of inflation -. due to be released on Friday and then the August payrolls report. next week.

Markets are fully priced for a 25-basis-point cut from the. Fed next month, with 100 bps of reducing anticipated in the next. three meetings of the year.

Mansoor Mohi-Uddin, primary economist at Bank of Singapore,. stated Powell did not clarify the size of the Fed's approaching rate. cuts noting it will depend upon incoming data, the evolving. outlook, and the balance of dangers.

We continue to see the Fed making two 25 bps rate cuts this. year to the advantage of threat assets. We believe a 50bps cut next. month is just likely if the payrolls report shows another dive. in unemployment.

The yen was a shade lower at 144.67 per dollar,. giving up a few of its safe haven gains from the previous session. which saw it increase to a three-week high of 143.45 per dollar.

The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency. versus 6 rivals, was last at 100.84, near a 13-month low. of 100.53 it touched in the previous session.

Oil costs kicked back in early trading on Tuesday after. rising 3% in the previous session due to provide concerns in the. wake of escalating stress in the Middle East and production. cuts in Libya.

Brent crude futures were 0.45% lower at $81.06 a. barrel, but not far from the two week high of $81.58 it touched. on Monday.

U.S. crude futures alleviated 0.5% to $77.01 a barrel however. remained near a one-week high of $77.60 it touched. overnight.

Gold prices alleviated to $2,511 per ounce on Tuesday just. shy of the record high of $2,531.60 reached on Aug. 20.

(source: Reuters)