South-East Asia

The European stock market fell on Monday, and Wall Street futures indicated further losses. However, the Japanese government bond yields and the yen were boosted by comments that suggested the central bank might hike interest rates. The market was a little jittery during November but has strengthened over the last week as traders bet more on the Federal Reserve of the United States cutting rates at their December meeting. At 1249 GMT Europe's STOXX 600 fell 0.6% for the day, as markets were gripped by a new wave of risk-aversion. London's FTSE 100 fell 0.2%, while Germany's DAX dropped 1.5%....

Stocks dropped on Monday, after a strong November. A bout of risk-aversion gripped the markets as optimism about U.S. interest rate cuts remained unchanged. The beaten-down Japanese yen strengthened and government bond yields soared to their highest level since 2008. In the currency market, the Japanese yen has gained strength to reach 155.55 US dollars. This is the strongest signal yet from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda that an interest rate increase could be imminent. Ueda told business leaders in a speech that the central banks would weigh the pros and cons of increasing rates during its next policy...

The global stock market entered a volatile final session on Friday as an outage in the exchange operator CME Group disrupted trading of a wide range of futures contracts on currencies, commodities and Treasuries, further reducing liquidity. CME's datacentres were down when U.S. investors returned from Thanksgiving for a short session on Friday. CME's EBS platform had resumed some currency trading by 1305 GMT. The STOXX 600 index in Europe was essentially unchanged for the day. It had gained 0.5% during November, its lowest monthly performance since June. The S&P 500 will experience its first monthly drop since April. It...

Asian shares will end a difficult November on a more stable footing as renewed hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut have helped calm valuation fears and Treasuries are rallying for the fourth consecutive month. The U.S. market, which was closed for Thanksgiving overnight, is due to have a shorter session on Friday. This means that activity will be more muted across all major asset classes than usual. The majority of European stocks were higher while currencies were more calm. In Asia, European stock futures rose by 0.1% while FTSE Futures rose by 0.2%. Wall Street futures, however, were affected...

Asian shares will end a difficult November on a more stable footing as renewed hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut have helped calm valuation fears and Treasuries are rallying for the fourth consecutive month. The U.S. market, which was closed for Thanksgiving overnight, is due to have a shorter session on Friday. This means that activity will be more muted across all major asset classes than usual. The majority of European stocks were higher while currencies were more calm. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan was flat Friday. It is now on track to gain 3% in the...

The growing bets on a rate cut in the U.S. lifted stocks for a 4th straight day, and Europe's stock markets experienced an incredible few hours when Britain's fiscal regulator accidentally published new forecasts that were crucial ahead of a brutal UK budget. The UK budget was released by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves and contained yet another round of tax increases. Early release The Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook has already triggered a response. The sterling and gilt yields both rose as OBR figures showed a better than expected picture of the UK's fiscal room, but then...

The Asian stock market rose on Wednesday as it followed Wall Street's gains, with weaker than expected economic data fueling expectations that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates during its next policy meeting. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan rose by 1.1% after U.S. shares ended the previous session mildly up. Japan's Nikkei index gained 1.9% while U.S. futures rose 0.3%. U.S. stock prices recovered lost ground following a recent sell-off. The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones all rose for the third day in a row on Tuesday as data revealed that retail sales were lower...

Two sources familiar with the matter on Tuesday said that Binh Son refinery in Vietnam is expected to purchase 1 million barrels West Texas Intermediate crude oil in January. This will be its second purchase within three months, as it increases imports from the United States. Since Trump threatened to impose tariffs against Vietnamese products in April, Vietnam has sought to purchase more U.S. products to close the trade gap. Vietnam wants to import a variety of U.S. products, including farm produce, liquefied gas, aircraft, and crude oil. Sources said that Swiss trader Mercuria had sold the cargo of 1...

Asian shares rallied Tuesday, as investors bet on a Federal Reserve rate cut in December. They also piled into technology stocks around the world, despite concerns that the sector is becoming overheated. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 1%, led by tech stocks. This is a partial recovery of last week's 4% drop. The index is expected to drop 3.8% in the month. This will be its first monthly decrease since March. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.8% at the start of trading on Tuesday, after returning to work on Monday from a long holiday. Last week, the index fell...

Global stocks rose Monday as investors grew more confident that the Federal Reserve will cut rates in December. This helped to offset recent investor anxiety over excessive valuations of tech companies, which has caused volatility this month. The markets are preparing for the release of U.S. retailer sales and producer price data later this week as well as the highly anticipated British budget by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Wednesday. Geopolitical events were also a focus. After agreeing to change an earlier proposal, which Kyiv and Europe deemed too favorable to Moscow, the U.S. was working with Ukraine to develop...

Investors began a week of events on a positive note on Monday as they took comfort in the growing expectation that the Federal Reserve will cut rates by December, even though policymakers are divided on such a move. The markets were preparing for possible catalysts. These included the release of U.S. retailer sales and producer price data, due later this week. In addition, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will also be releasing her highly anticipated Budget. After the United States, Ukraine and other countries announced that they had developed a "refined and updated peace framework" in order to end the...

European shares dropped on Friday, and it looked like the selloff would continue on Wall Street. Traders were worried about the valuation of tech stocks. The U.S. employment data showed a mixed picture. This added to the traders' insecurity and diminished hopes that Federal Reserve would cut rates this year. Wall Street was led lower by technology stocks on Thursday, despite a positive report from Nvidia about its earnings. Fears of a market bubble fueled by AI were not dispelled despite the chipmaker's good news. Investors continued to dump riskier assets during Friday's Asian trade. At 1219 GMT the MSCI...

Thailand's central banks is preparing measures to reduce the upward pressure of the baht. This includes tightening controls by banks on gold-related transactions in foreign exchange and requiring gold traders to provide their transaction data. The baht is Asia's second best performing currency, having gained 7% in value against the dollar this year. The appreciation of the baht is a threat to Thailand's export and tourism industries. In a recent statement, the Bank of Thailand said that it closely monitors the baht's volatility and will take action to minimize the impact of any fluctuations on businesses. The BOT will propose...

Indonesia posted a smaller-than-expected trade surplus in October after exports unexpectedly fell, official data showed on Monday, amid curtailed demand from China and weak shipments of mining products. The surplus was $2.4 billion. This is lower than the forecast of $3.72 billion by economists polled and September's surplus of $4.34 billion. According to LSEG, it was the smallest surplus monthly since April. Exports fell 2.31% compared to a year ago, reaching $24.24 billion. Analysts predicted a growth of 3.38%. A Statistics Indonesia official explained to reporters that the decline was caused by lower shipments, particularly of copper and coal products....

Two sources familiar with this matter claim that Chile's state owned copper producer offered to sell copper to U.S. clients with contracts based upon London Metal Exchange copper price at a record premium of over $500 per metric ton. The premium is added to the benchmark LME price and reflects fundamentals of demand and supply. The premium also covers transport costs and taxes. Codelco didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. The LME copper price reached a record high of $11,200 per ton on the 29th October due to expectations that shortages would occur, partly as a result...

Residents of Pari Island sue Swiss Cement Maker Holcim Climate change is blamed for higher temperatures and warmer seas Indonesian coastline is being eroded by mangroves. By Leo Galuh The Women's Group of Pari Island is hoping that mangroves will protect its coastline from rising sea levels, tidal flooding, and stronger waves. Mangroves absorb greenhouse gases, which are harmful to the planet. The sea has changed. "It's hotter and rougher. It scares us," Asmania, a mom of three, said as she dug her hands in the sand below the shallow sea. Pari Island, near Jakarta's capital, is home to only...

The price of copper rose on Tuesday as traders took into account supply developments, record U.S. stocks and the uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision for December. As of 1300 GMT, the most traded copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange had risen 0.33% to 86,320 Yuan ($12154.32) a metric tonne. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.31% to $10,806 per ton. Freeport Indonesia announced on Monday that it had reduced its production plans for 2026 at its flagship Grasberg Mine to 478,000 tonnes of copper cathode, from an earlier expectation of 700,000...

Lynas Rare Earths, based in Australia, said that it estimated a possible shortfall of one month's worth of production at its Kalgoorlie plant in Western Australia due to significant power supply interruptions. Lynas stated that the Kalgoorlie Rare Earths processing facility has experienced a dramatic increase in power supply interruptions since 2025. November saw a particularly high number, which resulted in significant losses in production of Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate. The largest rare-earth manufacturer outside China, the world's biggest rare-earth supplier, also expects that the Kalgoorlie disruptions will affect the production of finished products at its Malaysian plant during the...

Sojitz, a Japanese company, has started importing rare earths heavy from Australia's Lynas. This is the first import of this kind produced using Australian ore that was separated and refined in Malaysia. This move is intended to ensure that Japan can obtain key materials for electric vehicles and renewable energies from other sources than China, the dominant market. Japan, the United States and their allies are working to create supply chains outside China as Beijing tightens its export controls on key minerals. Kosuke uemura, CEO of Sojitz, told reporters that the company would continue to promote diversification in the rare...

Sany Heavy Industry's shares rose up to 4.7% on their Hong Kong debut Tuesday, after the Chinese construction equipment maker raised HK$12.36bn ($1.59bn) in one the biggest listings in the city this year. According to the prospectus, this company was founded in 1994 and is part of the Sany Group. It is now China's leading construction machinery manufacturer, and ranks among the top three worldwide. Sany, which manufactures excavators and concrete machinery as well as road construction equipment and cranes, operates 16 production bases in different countries and sells its products to more than 150. The stock price opened at...

Sanae Takaichi, the new Japanese premier, gave a putter that Shinzo Abe used to use. Shinzo was his friend and former leader of Japan. The club, displayed in a case with a gold-leaf ball and bag autographed by Japanese major champion Hideki Matsuzaya, was one of many references to Trump’s bond with Abe which underpinned relations between the two countries during Trump's first term. Analysts say that Takaichi will want to rekindle the bond with Abe's protegee Takaichi who was killed by a single gunman in 2022 to help her minority government navigate any thorny matters that may arise, such...

The Chinese-led expansion in Indonesia of aluminium production is expected to lead the global market in excess next year. This will result in lower prices for the metal used widely in the transportation industry. Three new smelters backed by China are close to completion, including Xinfa-Tsingshan Juwan in Weda Bay, Taijing at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and the Adaro-Lygend Kaltara Project in North Kalimantan. Indonesia exported 325.293 metric tonnes of aluminium from January to August of this year. This is up 67% compared to the same period last year. Ross Strachan is an analyst with consultancy CRU. He said,...

Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, said that he had expressed his deep concern to Premier Li Qiang in China about Beijing's increased export controls for critical raw materials. Costa expressed that the European Union expects China to help end Russia's war on Ukraine in a press release following his meeting with Li in Malaysia, at the ASEAN summit. Li stated that China was willing to extend and deepen "optimised" and "balanced" trade cooperation with European Union. This statement came from a Chinese readout of the discussion, which was released by Xinhua, the official news agency. Beijing and Brussels...

A spokesman said that the Indonesian government had begun relocating residents in areas around the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate. The site was found to be contaminated with radioactive Caesium 137. Indonesia launched the effort after it detected high levels Caesium 137, an artificial radionuclide in the sprawling industrial area near Jakarta. At this stage, we will allocate 19 families totaling 63 people. Why now? Why now? He added that the task force will move eight more families, totaling 28 people, in the next phase. The task force said that it has also completed the decontamination of 20 of the 22...