East Asia

The world's shares were stable on Monday, after Friday's decline - triggered by AI concerns - as the Lunar New Year holidays in Asia and Presidents Day made for thin trading. China, South Korea and Taiwan were all closed markets, but MSCI's broadest world share index, along with currencies and bonds, steadied. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets remain closed. The European share market ended the day with gains after a recovery in the banking sector. This sector was impacted last week by AI-related concerns that spread to the financials. The STOXX 600...

The world's shares were stable on Monday, after Friday's decline - triggered by AI concerns - as the Lunar New Year holidays in Asia and Presidents Day made for thin trading. China, South Korea and Taiwan were all closed markets. MSCI's broadest world share index rose by 0.1% as currencies and bonds stabilized. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets will not open. The European stock market rose on the back of a recovery in the banking sector. This sector was severely hit by AI-related concerns last week, when they spread to the financials....

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the markets will be like in Europe and around the world today. The week has started off quiet in the United States and Asia. The Nikkei was stung by Japanese data as the GDP missed expectations. The economy only grew 0.2% annually in the fourth quarter of 2012, while analysts expected a rebound to 1.6% following a contraction in Q3. The GDP also increased by just 0.1% on a year-on-year basis, which is a dramatic drop from the 2% growth rate of mid-2025. The nominal GDP was slightly better, at 3.4% for...

The Asian share market quietly consolidated recent gains on Monday, as the Lunar?Year holiday led to thin trading. Meanwhile, dismal economic reports from Japan drained some of the air from that booming stock market. China, South Korea and?Taiwan are among the markets closed. This leaves?currencies, bonds, and precious metals becalmed. Japan's economy only grew by a meager 0.2% annually in the quarter ending December, far less than the 1.6% forecast. Government spending was a drag on the activity. The figures are disappointing and highlight the difficult task that Prime Minister Takaichi faces. They should encourage her to push for more...

Axios, citing U.S. officials who were briefed about the issue, reported that President Donald 'Trump' and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed at a White House meeting on Wednesday to work towards reducing Iran’s oil exports. Axios quoted a senior U.S. government official as saying, "We agreed that we would go full force and exert maximum pressure on Iran, such as regarding Iranian oil sales to China." China's Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Sunday, which was the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. China is responsible for over 80% of Iran’s...

By Anna Szymanski February 13th - What Mike Dolan, the ROI team and I are looking forward to reading, watching and listening to this weekend. Editor's Note Hello Morning Bid readers! This week has been a rollercoaster ride. We saw a massive election victory in Japan, the extension of artificial intelligence disruption, a pushback against President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, and a mixture of U.S. data that roiled rates markets. All of this suggests that market expectations on everything from technology to "Takaichi" are as clear as mud. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 2% on Thursday after Cisco Systems' disappointing earnings....

After a week-long selling spree, global shares fell from their record highs ahead of important U.S. Inflation data. Meanwhile, concerns about shrinking margins and AI disruption remained under the surface. Early trading saw the?MSCI index drop 0.2% while Europe's STOXX was flat. U.S. Futures were flat as well, after steep losses on Friday that saw the Nasdaq Composite, which is heavily weighted towards technology, post its largest daily decline in three weeks. It fell 2%. The selling continued in Asia where Nikkei, the Japanese stock market index, fell by 1.2%. Transportation companies in the United States were the latest to...

Stella Qiu gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The tech selloff is back with a vengeance. Cisco was the cause of this latest slump, as its margins were squeezed due to the rising?costs for memory chips. This frightened investors who had been expecting booming profits. AI is causing a lot of concern about the future of jobs. Overnight, trucking and logistics companies suffered a sharp drop in stock prices. This was not long after the software sector plummeted as Anthropic released Claude Cowork to fuel job concerns. Apple was not spared. Apple,...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. Investors will be focusing on a slate of European earnings after the U.S. jobs report surprised many with its strength. This has led to expectations that the Federal Reserve would likely keep rates steady at least until the second half. The future of policy is dependent on the labour market and consumer price trends. Investors are reducing their bets on a Fed move in the near future, and the focus is now shifted to Friday's inflation data. The U.S. employment data presented a...

Dollar and Treasury yields increased, but U.S. stock prices lost their early gains, trading nearly flat, on Wednesday, after data showed that the U.S. created "far more jobs" than expected in the month of January. This could make it harder for the Federal Reserve's to continue cutting rates. Labor Department data shows that 130,000 new workers were added to the nonfarm payrolls during January. This is well above the forecast of 70,000. November and December have been revised downwards. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January from 4.4%, which was below the forecast of 4.4%. In an email, Eric...

U.S. stocks futures and the dollar rose on Wednesday after data showed that the U.S. created more jobs in January than expected, making it harder for the Federal Reserve to 'keep cutting rates' this year. Labor Department data revealed that 130,000 new workers were added to the non-farm payrolls during January. This was well above expectations of a rise in 70,000. November and December have been revised downwards a little. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January from 4.4%, which was below expectations for a reading 4.4%. Lindsay James, an investment strategist with Quilter, stated that this will likely...

Bonds rose and stock markets slowed on Wednesday due to softer than expected U.S. retail figures. Meanwhile, the rally in the yen extended and could be signaling a change in investor sentiment since Japan's recent election. A holiday in Japan 'lightened' trade in Asia and Hong Kong and China markets opened at around level. The gold price rose above $5,000 per ounce, and Treasury futures also rose a bit. Cash market was closed. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rates fell by nearly six basis points over night and reached a low of 4.14%, a month-low. Data showed that core U.S....

Prices of copper fell on Monday, due to the?firmer dollar as well as a focus on increasing inventories and weak demand prospects during holiday trading. The London Metal Exchange's Wednesday settlement or rollover for maturing contracts and the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday this week, as well as the U.S. public holiday on Monday, will likely result in low volumes and volatile movements due to the expiring contracts and the holiday. As of 1700 GMT, the benchmark copper price on the LME was 0.2% lower. It stood at $12.845 per metric ton. It has fallen more than 11% from a...

JSW MG Motor is a joint venture of China's SAIC Motor with India's steel to cement JSW Group. It plans to invest 'up to $440m' to expand its India 'factory' and launch new vehicles, with a particular focus on hybrid 'and electric models', according to its managing director. Loss-making automaker SAIC has struggled with growing its presence in India since New Delhi, in 2020, tried to limit investment from Beijing. In 2024, SAIC sold its India unit's minority stake to JSW to raise money. However, despite the fact that sales have been increasing, SAIC has not yet become profitable. JSW...

The cyclone which hit Madagascar last week has stopped production at the cobalt and Nickel miner Ambatovy. Traders said that a prolonged outage could increase prices for battery materials. Ambatovy is owned by the Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corp and the state-owned Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation. In 2024, it will produce around 28,000 tons of nickel and approximately 2,500 tons cobalt. The storm that hit Madagascar's Toamasina port, the main port for exports, caused a lot of disruption to trade. Ambatovy confirmed its Toamasina processing plant on Madagascar's east coast suffered material damage. It said it was...

Iron ore futures fell on Friday, as traders closed out their 'positions' ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays in China. During this time, demand is expected to fall significantly. The most-traded May iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed the daytime trading down 2.36% to 746 yuan (107.96 dollars) per metric ton. This contract has fallen 1.44% this week. As of 0715 GMT, the benchmark March iron ore traded on the Singapore Exchange at $97.25 per ton. This is a 2.34% decrease. The contract has fallen 1.76% this week and is on track for its fifth consecutive...

Iron ore futures fell on Friday, as traders 'closed out their positions before a Lunar New Year holiday that will last a full week in China. During this time demand is expected to drop significantly. As of 0322 GMT, the most-traded?iron ore May contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was down 1.5% at 752.5 Yuan ($108.97). This week, the contract has fallen by 1.63%. The benchmark March ore traded on the Singapore Exchange fell 1.24% to $98.35 per ton. This week, the contract has lost 0.7%. If the current momentum continues, it is on course for a fifth weekly?decline. Data...

Data from Benchmark Mineral - Intelligence (BMI), a consultancy, showed that global EV registrations dropped 3% in January due to the introduction of a EV purchase 'tax' and lower EV subsides in China as well as policy alterations in the U.S. Why it's important Global automakers with a large exposure to the U.S. have written down $55 billion over the last year. This is due to their scaling back of electric vehicle ambitions as they face a difficult U.S. marketplace under President Donald Trump. They also faced price wars and more complex vehicle types in Europe. The European Union, as...

Aluminum prices reached a two-week high after Australia's South32 confirmed that it would close a smelter located in Mozambique. However, all metals fell later as investor sentiment soured and financial markets tumbled. Benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange reached its highest since January 30, at $3,163.50 per metric ton. South32 confirmed it would place its Mozambique Aluminium plant on care and maintainance next month due to a power shortage. Aluminum, however, as well as other metals,?moved in the red during European afternoon trading, along with financial markets and was down 0.1% at $3.100 by 1730 GMT. U.S. indexes...

Analysts?and producers say that Paraguay’s soybean crop in 2025/26 is expected to exceed 10 million tons, and could become the biggest ever recorded by the country. StoneX, a South American agricultural?consultancy, revised its estimate of the crop harvested from October to February, increasing it by 500,000 tons. This is a significant increase over the previous estimate, which was 9.65 million tonnes. The crop, according to StoneX, "is among the best recorded ever" in this landlocked South American producer, the report stated. Analysts believe the final production total will depend on the second, smaller crop (or "zafrina") harvested between April-May. StoneX's...

Iron ore futures rose Thursday, as the promise of China's top consumer to lend monetary assistance?to boost a lacklustre demand boosted sentiment. The recent rally in nickel prices also helped. As of 0249 GMT, the most-traded contract for May?iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was trading 0.33% higher. It was 766 yuan (US$110.98) per metric ton. The benchmark March ore price on the Singapore Exchange rose by 0.25% to $100.2 per tonne. Investor confidence was raised after China's central bank announced it would lend financial assistance to boost domestic consumption. Industrial overcapitalisation and lacklustre consumer spending are weighing on...

Albemarle is the world's biggest producer of lithium. It posted a?larger-than-expected loss on Wednesday. The company also announced that it would be?idling a major Australian?processing?plant due to its continued?struggle with low prices for battery metal. After-hours trading saw shares of the Charlotte-based company fall 3.1%. Prices of lithium have fallen by more than 90 percent in the last two years, largely due to an oversupply coming from China. This has led to layoffs, buyouts, and project delays at Albemarle, and other companies. Prices have increased in recent months but remain below the all-time highs of 2023. Albemarle announced that it...

China's Zijin Mining plans to start Congo's first lithium production in June at the disputed Manono mine and export it immediately, according to Cominiere, a state-owned mining company. This is a significant step for Beijing in its push to secure critical minerals in Africa. Zijin previously stated a start in the first quarter of 2026, but said on Tuesday that this is now updated planning. After the Democratic?Republic of Congo revoked the permit of Australian miner AVZ, the Manono resource is now at the center of arbitration. Zijin, in a joint venture with Cominiere, reassigned a part of the site....

Nickel rose on Wednesday for the fourth consecutive session after the?world's largest nickel mine, located in Indonesia? received a?dramatically reduced production quota this year. As of 1705 GMT, the benchmark three-month Nickel?on London Metal Exchange?was up by 2.7% to $17.955 per metric ton. The nickel used in the production of stainless steel and rechargeable battery earlier rose as high as 3%, to $18,020. This was its highest price since January 30. French miner Eramet announced on Wednesday that its PT Weda Bay Nickel joint venture with China's?Tsingshan and Indonesia's PT Antam received an initial production allowance for 2026 of 12...