Asian stocks gained on diversification bets after concerns over unpredictable policymaking in Washington pushed the dollar to its lowest level in almost four years. Gold climbed to a record. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.7% to a record. A gauge of technology stocks also set an all-time high with memory-chip maker SK Hynix Inc. among the gainers. US equity-index futures advanced as SoftBank Group Corp. was in talks to invest an additional $30 billion in OpenAI. Indonesian stocks plunged 7% after MSCI Inc. raised concerns about their investability. Meanwhile, the dollar pared some of its losses Wednesday, with the greenback appreciating against all its Group-of 10 peers. That came after the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slid to its lowest since February 2022 in the US session as President Donald Trump said he wasn’t concerned about the currency’s slump. Asian currencies reacted to that move, sending the ringgit and the won higher. Asian stocks have extended a three-year rally fueled by AI-driven gains, with investors increasingly rotating into regional equities attracted by more compelling valuations and stronger growth prospects. That faces a key test this week as megacap technology companies begin reporting earnings and traders await the Federal Reserve’s policy decision Wednesday. Tech was the main theme for stocks in Asia, with memory and storage makers gaining. That followed advances in US peers overnight and ahead of rare dual earnings calls on Thursday for Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix. In other corners of the market, the Taiwanese dollar also strengthened against the US currency on Wednesday. The Bloomberg Asia Dollar Index climbed 0.3%, hovering around levels last seen in September. Gold hit a record high above $5,200 an ounce, extending a breakneck rally fueled by the dollar weakness. The yellow metal has gained about 20% since the beginning of the year, smashing through $5,000 an ounce for the first time this week. In the same period, silver has surged more than 50%. Japan’s 40-year government bond yield fell 3.5 basis points to 3.90% after an auction of the same tenor drew stronger demand than its 12-month average. Treasuries were a touch stronger with the yield on the 10-year falling one basis point to 4.23% ahead of Wednesday’s Fed meeting. The US central bank is projected to halt its rate-cutting cycle as a steadier jobs market restores a degree of consensus among officials after months of growing division. With the economy still displaying exceptional strength, the Fed’s messaging is likely to emphasize a data‑driven approach to future policy decisions, according to Chris Brigati at SWBC. Investors will also look for impact on the dollar. While a weaker dollar boosts exports, the US has some $39 trillion of debt, said Rob Kaplan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. vice chairman. When you have that much debt, stability of the currency trumps exports, Kaplan said in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Stephen Engle in Hong Kong. US After Hours LRN +18.4%, FFIV +10.3%, NXT +8.6%, TXN +8.3%, STX +6.7% higher on earnings; QRVO -9.4% lower on earnings; ALHC +6.5% on bullish comments from Baird analyst on CNBC.
Nikkei +0.05% Hang Seng +2.38% CSI +0.19% Shanghai +0.15% Shenzen -0.06%
Eur$ 1.1993 CNH 6.9392 CNY 6.9455 JPY 152.77 GBP 1.3795 CHF 0.7660 RUB 76.25 TRY 43.4125 WTI$ 62.76 +0.69% Gold 5,235 +1.45% BTC 88,902 -0.18% ETH 2,998 -0.4512
S&P +0.40% Nasdaq +0.91% EuroStoxx +0.60% FTSE +0.09% Dax +0.03% SMI -0.17%
Macro :
- NYC Next-Day Power Price Jumps 31% to Record in Frigid Blast
- Anthropic Set to Raise About $20B in Fundraising Deal: FT
Keep an eye on :
Keep an eye on :
- AIR FP : Boeing Sets 500-Jet Target for 737 as ‘Shadow Factory’ Closes
- AIR FP : Delta Air Lines to Add 31 Airbus Widebody Aircraft to Its Fleet
- AD NA : Delhaize’s Delfood Purchase Gets Conditional Belgian Approval
- AAPL US : Apple’s Cook Calls for ‘Deescalation’ After Latest ICE Shooting
- ASML NA : ASML 4Q Bookings Beats Estimates, ASML Announces €12B Buyback, 4Q Bookings Beat Estimates
- BEIJB SS : Beijer Ref Proposes Per Bertland as New Chair of the Board
- BEKB BB : Bridgestone to Sell Thai, China Steel Cord Business to Bekaert
- CAP FP : France’s Lescure Asks Capgemini to Clarify US Contract With ICE
- DOM SS : Dometic 4Q Net Sales Miss Estimates
- ETL FP : Eutelsat Courts Polish Partners for EU Satellite Project: Puls
- FLUT US : Flutter Hits Two-Year Low as Analysts See Weaker FanDuel Revenue
- GOOGL US : Google Launches AI Plus Plan in US, 34 New Markets
- IDIA SM : Idorsia Signs License, Supply Pact For Quviviq With EMS
- Ignis IPO : Spanish Renewable Company Ignis Hires Citi for IPO: Confidencial
- JNJ US : FDA OKs Darzalex Faspro Combo for Transplant-Ineligible Myeloma
- KPN NA : KPN 4Q Adjusted Ebitda After Leases Meets Estimates
- LGEN LN : L&G, Meiji Yasuda Reiterate Confidence of Banner Life Deal
- LOGN SW : Logitech FY Sales Forecast Beats Estimates
- LONN SW : Lonza FY Sales Miss Estimates, Lonza Sees 2026 Core Ebitda Margin Above 32%, Est. 30.8% (1)
- MC FP : LVMH 4Q Fashion & Leather Goods Organic Sales Miss Estimates
- MC FP : LVMH 4Q Fashion & Leather Goods Organic Sales Miss Estimates
- Open AI : SoftBank in Talks to Invest up to $30 Billion More in OpenAI -- WSJ
- PPH LN : PPHE Hotel Sees Earnings in Line With Market Expectations
- SFER IM : Ferragamo 4Q Revenue Meets Estimates
- SCHO DC : Schouw Prelim FY Revenue About DKK34.1B, Est. DKK34.19B
- SEBA SS : SEB Nominates Martina Wallenberg to Board
- Space X IPO : SpaceX weighs June IPO timed to planetary alignment and Elon Musk’s birthday, SpaceX Targeting Mid-June For Its IPO, FT Reports
- SPOT US : Spotify Price Hikes Add $1 Billion, Margins Face Label Pressure
- SSABA SS : SSAB 4Q Sales Miss Estimates
- SNI NO : Stolt-Nielsen 4Q Revenue Misses Estimates
- TEL2B SS : Tele2 4Q Ebitda Meets Estimates; Dividend Higher Than Expected
- TSLA US : Tesla’s Soft Sales Put Onus on AI, Robotics Plans: Preview
- UMG NA : Spotify Price Hikes Add $1 Billion, Margins Face Label Pressure
- VOLVB SS :Volvo 4Q Adjusted Operating Profit Beats Estimates, Volvo Raises Outlook for European Truck Market on Robust Demand
- WCH GY : Wacker Chemie Prelim FY Sales About EU5.49B