South Korea

The major stock indexes fell sharply on Friday. Investors were cautious about artificial intelligence bets and the dollar, as well as U.S. Treasury Yields, edged up after recent losses. Oracle, a cloud computing company, warned earlier this week of massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom, a chipmaker, warned late on Thursday about margins. Technology fell the most of all major S&P sectors, 2.5%. Broadcom shares fell 10.9% while Oracle dropped 4.6%, and AI leader Nvidia declined 2.1%. Investors are optimistic about future U.S. rate cuts after the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by 25 basis point on Wednesday. The...

The dollar suffered losses following the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut. Bonds were also firm. Oracle shares fell more than 11% in Asia trading. S&P futures were down 0.9% and Nasdaq futures 1.3%. AI-related stocks suffered the most in Tokyo as Oracle missed its profit and revenue forecasts, and executives cited higher spending as a sign infrastructure investments aren't turning into profits at the rate investors had expected. Japan's Nikkei Index fell by 1%, with the AI-exposed SoftBank Group contributing 7.5% to the decline. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose only 0.06%. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside...

Investors worried about the direction U.S. interest rates could take next year amid fears about a divided Central Bank. Asian stocks dropped while the dollar remained steady on Tuesday. Investor sentiment was cautious after a shaky start to the week, with key central bank meetings. Markets are looking for clarity on the outlook of global interest rates. Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates unchanged as expected on February 2, ruling out any further policy easing. They warned that the next step could be an increase if inflation pressures remain stubborn. The Australian dollar traded just below a three-month high. Bank...

Japan's Nikkei fell on Friday, wiping away this week's gains despite an otherwise positive Asian performance. Investors are waiting for the U.S. Inflation reading which could influence a deeply divided Federal Reserve. The European stock market was headed for a flat opening, as both EURO STOXX futures and FTSE Futures were little changed. Nasdaq Futures rose by 0.4%, and S&P500 Futures rose by 0.2%. In Asia, Nikkei fell by 1.3% as weaker than expected household spending data highlighted the inflation problem. Bets on a rate increase later in the month also grew. The week was expected to be mostly flat....

The dollar dropped for the tenth consecutive day against a basket, extending its longest losing streak since over 50 years. After an auction, Japanese stocks rose sharply. Government Bonds Investors showed a strong interest in the stock, setting the tone for the entire equity market. STOXX 600 in Europe was up by 0.1%, and is still on track for a modest gain each week. U.S. Stock Futures were flat for the day. This suggests a steady trading start later in the session. Wall Street stocks rallied Wednesday, led by small cap companies. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.9% while the...

Japanese stocks led gains on Asian markets Thursday, as investors bid heavily for government bonds at an auction. Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar recovered from its five-week low. The Nikkei rose by 2.2%, led largely by the industrial robot maker Fanuc Corp. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan traded flat due to declines in Korea, New Zealand and Australia. Early European trading saw pan-regional futures up 0.6%. German DAX Futures also rose 0.6%. FTSE Futures increased 0.31%. Tokyo's most recent debt sale attracted the highest demand in over six years. This helped calm investor nerves following a selloff which pushed yields...

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...

Stocks fell 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 yen strengthened as investors considered the possibility of a rate increase as early as this month. Investors were looking for clues about the timing of the next rate hike as Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda spoke in Nagoya. Ueda told business leaders in an address that the central banks would weigh the "pros" and "cons" of raising interest rates at their next policy meeting. This was the strongest indication yet as to whether or...

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...

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...

Anson Resources, based in Australia, announced on Monday that it had signed a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding with Utah-based Nusano for the supply of lithium chloride to be used in advanced manufacturing and nuclear applications. Anson will provide samples of lithium chloride from its Green River Project in Utah to be tested for qualification. Talks are aimed at an agreement covering a five-year period and at least 300 tonnes equivalent lithium carbonate per year. Nusano is a privately-held company that plans to use Anson’s lithium chloride feedstock in order to produce lithium-6, lithium-7, and other isotopes for the nuclear sector...

After his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States would reduce its tariffs on Chinese products from 20% to 10%. Trump said that Xi would work "very hard" to stop the flow of fentanyl and that the tariffs were reduced "because they really are taking strong actions." Trump described his meeting with Xi Jinping as "an incredible meeting" and said that many decisions were taken. Trump announced that China would purchase "tremendous quantities" of U.S. soya beans and other farm products, "starting immediately". A one-year agreement regarding rare earths was also reached...

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 White House announced that U.S. president Donald Trump and Japan prime minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework deal on Tuesday to secure the supply of rare earths and critical minerals through mining and processing. Both countries want to strengthen the supply chains of rare earths, which are used in everything from electronics to cars and renewable energy. The statement stated that the U.S., Japan, and other countries will cooperate by using economic policy tools, as well as coordinated investment, to develop a diversified, liquid and fair market for rare earths and critical minerals. China processes 90% of rare earths...

Stanton in Tennessee, population 450, welcomed two massive new neighbors a few decades ago: A Ford electric-truck plant and a joint venture battery factory that was to employ 6,000 people. Ford's 2022 groundbreaking has triggered a construction boom in the former cotton and soybean farmlands near Memphis. Hard-hatted construction workers filled the local restaurants. Developers scrambled for homes and fire stations. Stanton has become quieter. Ford has repeatedly delayed phases of this project over the last 18 months. The EV plant will start initial production in 2027, and begin sending out deliveries the following year. This is several years behind...

Anson Resources, an Australian miner, signed a deal on Wednesday with LG Energy Solution in South Korea for the supply and purchase of battery-grade Lithium Carbonate. This led to a nearly 25% increase in its share price. The agreement stipulates that the South Korean battery maker will purchase up to 4,000 dry tons of lithium-carbonate per year from Anson's Paradox Basin project in southern Utah in the United States. Supply is expected to begin in 2028. The initial term of the agreement is five years, with an option to extend it by another five years. The partnership is expected to...

Hyundai Motor announced on Thursday that it will produce over 80% of its vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030, in response to U.S. Tariff Policies. The South Korean automaker is ramping up capacity at their Georgia plant. In a press release, the automaker announced that it had lowered its target for 2025 operating profit to 6-7%. This was down from an earlier stated 7-8%. The company cited U.S. Tariffs as a reason. The company still expects its profit margins will improve to 7-8% in 2027, and 8-9% in 2030. Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp, the third largest automaker in...

TechMet, a U.S.-government-backed investment vehicle, is launching an arm to trade critical minerals following further investment by commodity trading house Mercuria. This was announced on Wednesday. TechMet, a private company, owns stakes in 10 different companies including Brazilian Nickel, Cornish Lithium, and Rainbow Rare Earths. According to a press release, TechMet SCM will be a new trading unit that will concentrate on specialty metals from its portfolio companies as well as third parties. Mercuria has increased its investment to make possible the launch the trading arm. It did not specify how much Mercuria had invested. TechMet stated that "it will......

An official announced on Tuesday that the Indonesian sovereign fund Danantara would invest in developing a nickel-processing hub with Chinese battery recycler GEM. The funds, which total $8.3 billion, will be available for investment by 2025. Danantara will be making its first venture into Indonesia's nickel sector, which is crucial to the country. The government wants to capitalize on the vast amount of nickel in the country that's used for electric vehicle batteries. Indonesia is the largest nickel producer in the world. In an interview, Pandu Sjahrir, the investment chief of the fund said that they had just signed a...

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing, Japan's largest electric-arc furnace producer, said it would leave the prices of its steel products unchanged in September. This will help to bring the market back up after a period when demand was weak. This is the fourth month in a row that steel products have not seen a change in price, including its H-shaped beams. Prices for steel bars and rebar will remain unchanged at 85,000 yen (US$577) per metric ton in September. H-shaped beams, however, will be priced at 112,000 ($760) per ton. The company reported that domestically, steel activity in construction remains low due...

Japanese steel lobby groups have demanded early measures to stop the evasion and avoidance of anti-dumping duties aimed at protecting the domestic industry from unfair imports. This move coincides with record steel exports by China, the largest producer in the world, which have sparked protectionist reactions around the globe. Since January of last year, almost 40 countries have launched anti-dumping investigations. The Japan Iron and Steel Federation and other four industry groups have said that swift action is required as countries like China try to avoid antidumping tariffs by routing their exports through a third country or performing minimal processing...

A source familiar with this matter has confirmed that India's state owned miner IREL wants to work with Japanese and South Korean firms to begin commercial production of rare-earth magnets as part of its efforts to reduce reliance upon China. The company is looking at both Japan and South Korea for rare earth processing technology, potentially through government-to-government channels, the source said, declining to be named as the discussions are not public. Source: The miner plans to formalise discussions with other countries about rare earth mining and technologies partnerships, and seek IREL approval for commercial magnet production in this year....