South-East Asia

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...

Saudi Arabian crude sold to Asia has seen its price drop the most in'more than 20 years, but the grade is still more expensive to lift compared to some Gulf rivals. This reduces the appetite for oil from the OPEC linchpin. On Monday, the world's largest exporter cut the??official selling price (OSP), for its flagship Arab Light oil to $1.50 per barrel below the average Oman and Dubai quotations for Asia. This is a $11 reduction from the previous months. The OSPs of its four other grades were also reduced by $11 per barrel. The sudden shift is due to...

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...

After a lukewarm U.S. The jobs report has thrown cold water on the 'prospect' of an imminent rate increase by the Federal Reserve. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fluctuated in gains and losses. It gained 0.1% following two days of consecutive declines. The sharp declines in U.S. chipmakers trading weighed heavily on South Korea's Kospi. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures both rose by 0.1% while Japan's Nikkei was down by 1%. According to data released Thursday, the U.S. employment growth slowed dramatically in June, and payroll gains from the two previous months were'revised down.' This indicates a cooling...

Official data on Thursday showed that oil product inventories in Singapore, a key trading hub in Asia, have eased after a recovery last week. This was primarily due to a drop in stocks across the barrel. Enterprise Singapore's data shows that the combined onshore oil products stocks were 40.45 millions barrels during the week ending July 1, a decrease of 4.1% compared to last week. The weekly average for June was 37.5 million barrels. Following an interim agreement between the U.S.A. and Iran, the markets are preparing for a gradual improvement in supply as more ships begin to leave the...

Brent oil, meanwhile, posted its biggest quarterly drop since 2020 as traders stayed on top of a fragile truce between the United States &?Iran. The U.S. Dollar was expected to post its fourth consecutive quarterly gain against a basket, pushing the yen down to a low of 40 years, as expectations of U.S. rate hikes changed dramatically on the last day. The greenback gained more than 1% against the currencies of emerging markets as a group throughout the second quarter. The Strait of Hormuz reopened slowly and randomly on the energy markets as the hostilities between Iran and the U.S....

On Tuesday, global stocks were on track to achieve their best performance in the second quarter of six years. Meanwhile, a resurgent US dollar drove the yen down to its lowest level in four decades and was heading for a fourth consecutive quarterly increase. In the last three months the Strait of Hormuz reopened slowly and 'haphazardly' as hostilities between Iran and the U.S. waned, resulting in a fragile ceasefire and a 20% drop in the price of crude oil. A dramatic shift has also occurred in the expectations of U.S. interest rate, against the backdrop of an unstoppable rise...

Asian stocks surged on Tuesday at the end of an impressive quarter, as a resurgent yen fell to its lowest level in four decades and headed towards a fourth consecutive quarterly increase. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.6% and is on track to set a new record for quarterly gains of over 38%. South Korea's KOSPI, which is dominated by chipmakers, rose 3%. However it was on track for a record-breaking second-quarter gain of more than 71%. It has already doubled in the past year. Brent crude futures are trading at $72.49 per barrel, which is the pre-war price. This is even...

Asian stocks shook as they approached the end of a stellar quarter on Tuesday. A resurgent Dollar pushed the Japanese yen down to its lowest level in four decades, and was heading for a fourth consecutive quarterly rise. Japan's Nikkei is set to record a record gain of 36% in the second quarter. South Korea's chipmaker driven KOSPI fell 1% but was still on track for a record second quarter rise of more than 65%, having doubled in value year-to date. Brent crude futures are trading at $72.49 per barrel, which is the pre-war price. This is even with the...

U.S. Stock Futures rose on Monday, after the U.S. agreed to halt recent hostilities with Iran and resume talks. This helped oil prices drop after they spiked earlier due to renewed attacks between both sides. After a sell-off last week triggered by fears about AI spending, European stocks were flat. However, tech was outperforming on both sides. The STOXX 600 index in Europe was not changed, but the S&P 500 futures in the U.S. rose 0.8%. Futures on the Nasdaq, which is a tech-heavy index, rose by 1.1%. This puts the U.S. Index back on track to recover after it...

Analysts say that a drop in oil prices following a fragile U.S. - Iran truce helped to 'ease immediate inflationary tension in many emerging markets. However, 'cheaper oil will not be enough to defuse civil unrest, as the damage done by household finances is already done. Energy price increases and rising costs of living have been blamed for protests from Kenya to Indonesia to Bolivia in the last few weeks. Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk consultancy based in the UK, said that civil unrest worldwide reached a six-year-high in the second quarter 2026. It creates a quarterly index that tracks...

The Indonesian Presidential 'palace' announced on Tuesday that India and Indonesia had?signed an agreement on the BrahMos Cruise Missile System. During his two-day trip to Indonesia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited President Prabowo Sibito. This was his first visit to Southeast Asia since 2023. According to a Jakarta announcement that did not provide any details, BrahMos - an India/Russia joint venture missile company - and Indonesia's Defence Ministry signed a deal for the BrahMos system of missile defense. The?reported on Tuesday earlier that India would supply the BrahMos missile defense system to Indonesia and also?the Astra Air-to-Air missile, citing...

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...

The Mexican silver miner Sinda raised $213 million in its U.S. initial public offering. Shares of the company fell 10% on their debut at the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks of the San Miguel de Allende, Mexico based company opened at $10.80 each, lower than the $12 offered price. Sinda sold 17,75 million shares within the marketed price range of $11.25 - $13.25 per share. In recent months, a growing number of mining firms have turned to the capital markets to fund their capital-intensive operations and capitalize on the high metal prices. Pricing of the IPO below the middle of...

Lingyi iTech, a Chinese company, priced its Hong Kong IPO at HK$10.18 ($1.06bn), allowing it to raise HK$8.3bn ($1.06bn), which will be used in part to expand its AI capabilities. Apple's supplier is aiming to capitalize on the rising demand for AI computing and advanced equipment. In its prospectus, it stated that approximately 37.6%, or about HK$3,07 billion, of the IPO proceeds would be used to upgrade core manufacturing processes and increase production capacity. The next three years will see a total of?HK$1,71 billion invested in the manufacturing of high-density AI server, humanoid robotic hardware and AI optical communications infrastructure....

Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest palladium producer said that it expects to have a global palladium surplus of 0.3 million (Moz), excluding investments and stock movements, in 2026. The demand for palladium, excluding investments, is expected to reach 9.1 Moz by 2026, and 9.3 in 2027. Meanwhile, the supply will be at 9.4 and 9.5 respectively. Nornickel stated in a review of the market that preliminary estimates indicate investment demand for palladium may reach 0.3 Moz in 2026. This would effectively bring the market into balance. A similar trend is expected in?2027. Nornickel expects that global primary palladium output will...

Four?sources? with knowledge of the situation said that Cargill aims to sell its iron ore and trading business by late July?or early august, as it refocuses its operations on food and agriculture. According to Cargill, the Singapore-based company is a large one, with a trading volume of 60 to 70 millions metric tons of iron ore per year and up to 4 million tons steel. This makes it a target for companies that are looking to expand their physical trading. Sources say that the original deadline for the sale was late May, which is the end of Cargill’s financial year....

Guinea, a country in West Africa, is now the world's largest producer of bauxite - the raw material that ultimately becomes aluminium. It is now trying to use its newfound dominance in order to exert greater control over price and industry structure. Just as Indonesia did in nickel, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in cobalt. Three resource giants struggle to control mining sectors which have?grown too large too fast, flooding global markets and crashing the prices. Indonesia uses mining quotas. The Congo has export quotas. Guinea is considering a combination of the two to stop operators from exporting more...

Singapore is establishing an over-the counter gold clearing system and introducing central bank gold vaulting services. This comes as the city state looks to establish itself as a gold trading hub. Gan Kim Yong, the Deputy Prime Minister, told the Asia-Pacific Precious Metals conference on Monday that the Singapore Exchange will?establish a gold clearing system over-the-counter for Loco Singapore or physical gold in Singapore by the end this year. He said that six banks will be clearing members: DBS, Deutsche Bank ICBC Standard Bank J.P. Morgan OCBC, UOB. Gan stated that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will offer central...

The mining firm Sinda filed for a U.S. IPO on Friday, marking billionaire Thomas Kaplan's'second attempt' to enter the public markets, following Sunshine Silver's listing a 'day earlier', as 'interest in IPOs' rebounded. The filing did not reveal the terms of?the?offering. The U.S. IPO Market exploded in 2026. A variety of sectors were eager to list and take advantage of the excitement among investors for new listings. Elon Musk’s SpaceX will?start trading in New York in what is expected to be the largest IPO ever. Anthropic, a leading AI company, also filed a confidential application to go public last week....

Thailand's Siam Cement announced on Friday that its unit sold a nearly 15% stake in Indonesian conglomerate Chandra Asri Pacific at the beginning of June for $24.9 billion ($763.10 millions). According to LSEG, SCG Chemicals is the second largest shareholder of Chandra Asri, behind Indonesian business magnate Prajogo Pangestu's Barito -Pacific. Chandra Asri didn't immediately respond to a comment request. The MSCI removed the Indonesian firm from its domestic global standard index in May, causing it to lose over 80% of their value. Stock market in the country has also suffered, as investors have lost confidence due to fiscal concerns,...

China's finished exports of steel to 'India' more than doubled to their highest level in at least two years in April, causing concern amongst the steel makers in India that they would be overwhelmed by low-cost products despite tariffs. According to data provided by the Indian government, China exported around 232,000 metric tonnes of finished steel during April. It was the largest exporter of this steel into the South Asian country. This is despite the fact that?India, which is the second largest crude steel producer in terms of production, had imposed import tariffs on certain grades from December for a...

China's steel exports to India have more than doubled to the highest level in at least two years. This has caused concern among India's steelmakers who fear that they will be overwhelmed by low-cost products despite tariffs. According to data provided by the Indian government, China exported around 232,000 tons of steel finished in April. It was the largest exporter of this steel into the South Asian country. India, the second largest crude steel producer in the world, had imposed import tariffs on certain grades of steel for a three-year period that had managed?to slow imports from China. The data...