Asian equities rebounded, with South Korea leading gains after its worst rout on record, as markets regained some composure following a surge in volatility sparked by the Middle East conflict. South Korea’s Kospi Index surged 8.4% to lift the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index 2.2%, the first increase in four sessions. The rally tracked Wednesday’s climb on Wall Street after stronger economic data soothed inflation concerns. The advance appeared tentative, with equity-index futures for the US and Europe edging lower, while the dollar — reasserting its role as a haven in times of crisis — strengthened. Chinese shares also traded higher even as the country set its 2026 gross domestic product target at 4.5% to 5%, the lowest growth objective since 1991. China also set its 2026 CPI target at about 2%. While sentiment in equities market rebounded, crude oil continued its advance. Gold and silver extended their gains amid concerns the conflict could be drawn out. Treasuries were also a touch weaker, with the yield on the 10-year rising by two basis points to 4.11%. Support from US stocks offered Asian traders a partial reprieve from Wednesday’s broad regional declines, as investors continued to assess the war’s impact on growth and inflation. For the rebound to be sustained, investors will likely need greater clarity on the duration of the conflict and the extent to which it will fan inflation. Uncertainty about how long the conflict could last is forcing investors to look to recent history as a guide for markets. Many are revisiting trades enacted after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, betting that this week’s spike in energy prices will stoke inflation, sparking lasting strength in the dollar as well as weakness in bonds and stocks. Traders remained focused on oil as the spike in prices following the Iran war threatened to accelerate inflation. Crude climbed as traders assessed the widening fallout from the US-Israeli war against Iran, with the combatants vowing to press on with the conflict that’s upending energy markets. West Texas Intermediate climbed above $77 a barrel, after spiking about 11% in the first three days of the week, while Brent traded close to $84. Elsewhere, China’s government told the country’s largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline as the escalating conflict disrupts the arrival of crude from one of the world’s largest producing regions. With virtually no oil or fuel making its way out of the Persian Gulf since US and Israeli attacks began at the weekend, refiners from Japan to Indonesia and India have begun cutting back run rates and suspending exports. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump expressed confidence in the military campaign against Iran even as the timeline for operations remained unclear. Tehran targeted Israel and Gulf states while Israeli and American forces followed through on pledges to bomb targets in the Islamic Republic. The US sank an Iranian warship in international waters. Tehran also dismissed a report it had reached out to the US to negotiate an end to the conflict as “pure falsehood.” China, meanwhile, will dispatch its special envoy on Middle East affairs to the region to conduct mediation efforts. One key focus for traders in Asia is South Korea — a bellwether for artificial intelligence investments that has rallied to become the world’s second-best-performing equities market. Shares gained 9% on Thursday, following a 12% crash the previous day. “Korean stocks are likely to remain in a volatile situation depending on the oil price, making it difficult to time an entry,” said Hiroshi Namioka, chief strategist at T&D Asset Management. “When volatility is high, the investment appeal deteriorates on a risk-return basis.” US After Hours AVGO +5.1% higher on earnings and upbeat AI commentary; ALTO +27.7%, NAGE +23.7% higher on earnings; DUOL +1.5% on insider buy; SES -22.2%, GO -21.7%, STUB -11.8% lower on earnings.
Nikkei +2.21% Hang Seng +0.84% CSI +1.31% Shanghai +0.84% Shenzen +1.60%
Eur$ 1.1594 CNH 6.8992 CNY 6.8965 JPY 157.22 GBP 1.3318 CHF 0.7815 RUB 77.8965 TRY 43.9879 WTI$ 77.49 +3.79% Gold 5,141 +0.05% BTC 72,440 -1.21% ETH 2,123 -1.21%
S&P -0.17% Nasdaq -0.18% EuroStoxx -0.25% FTSE +042% Dax -0.26% SMI
Macro :
- Iran Begins Shift Toward Governing for Prolonged War: Fars
- DAX Index Unchanged; Schaeffler, Deutz Among Those Added to MDAX
- Taula’s New Hire Knight Made $800 Million Profit at Millennium
- BTIG Joins Goldman, Citadel Securities in Bullish Stocks Call
- EU Shortlists Swedish, UK Firms to Manage €5 Billion Tech Fund
- Anthropic Reopens Talks with Pentagon After Feud Over AI Safety
- Goldman’s Solomon Is Watching for ‘Frothiness’ in Private Credit
- Missile Production Must Accelerate to Restock Arsenal: Truist
- Index Rebal Note attached
Keep an eye on :
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- AMP IM : Amplifon Completes Sale of UK Business to Hidden Hearing
- AMP IM : Amplifon 4Q Net Revenue Misses Estimates, Amplifon’s ‘Ambiguous’ Guidance Implies Downgrades
- ANDR AV : Andritz FY Dividend per Share Beats Estimates
- AVIO IM : Avio to Join FTSE MIB Index, Banca Popolare Sondrio to Leave
- AZN LN : Xencor Says Alexion Will Not Pay Royalties on Ultomiris US Sales
- BAYN GY : Bayer Welcomes US Court Backing of Roundup Settlement
- OWL US : Blue Owl Bearish Bets at All-Time High Amid Private Credit Fears
- BOSN SW : Bossard FY Ebit Meets Estimates
- AVGO US : Broadcom Jumps as $100B AI Chip Sales Goal Revives Sentiment
- BA US : NASA Said to Tap Boeing-Lockheed’s Vulcan for Top of Moon Rocket
- BBCQ US : Quantum Startup Pasqal to List Via SPAC at $2 Billion Valuation
- CPR IM : Campari FY Adjusted Ebit Beats Estimates, Campari ADRs Gain on ‘Impressive’ Top-Line Growth
- COLOB DC : Coloplast Names Gavin Wood as CEO
- DAWN US : Day One Biopharmaceuticals Soars on Betaville M&A Speculation
- PBB GY : Deutsche PBB FY Pretax Loss EU250M, Est. Loss EU220.6M
- DHL GY : Deutsche Post 4Q Supply Chain Ebit Meets Estimates
- DUE GY : Duerr Sees 2026 Adjusted Ebit Margin 5% to 6.5%, Est. 5.91%
- EZJ LN : EasyJet Loses FTSE 100 Spot as Rightmove Clings On to Its Place
- EKTAB SS : Elekta 3Q Net Sales Miss Estimates (1)
- ELI BB : Elia Group 2026 Net Income Forecast Beats Estimates
- GALD SW : Galderma Sees 2026 Sales at Constant FX +17% to +20%, Est. +17%
- GFT GY : GFT Sees 2026 Revenue About EU930M, Est. EU929.5M
- GLEN LN : Glencore Sells 6.3 Million Century Aluminum Shares for $51.75/Ea
- HIK LN :
- IGG LN : Lion Finance, IG Group to Join FTSE 100 Index
- ICOS IM : Intercos FY Adjusted Ebitda EU156.0M Vs. EU143.3M Y/y
- IPI US : Intrepid Potash 4Q Adjusted EPS Beats Estimates
- SKF GY : Fertiliser disruption from Iran conflict prompts global food shortage warnings - FT
- LEG GY : LEG Immobilien FY Dividend per Share Matches Estimates
- MDT US : Medtronic Diabetes Unit’s IPO Sparks Analyst Debate
- MRK GY : Merck KGaA 2026 Adjusted Ebitda Forecast Misses Estimates
- MRNA US : *MODERNA SHARES CLIMB 16% TO HIT HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE OCT. 2024
- BMPS IM : Monte Paschi Approves Slate of Candidates for Board Renewal
- MS US : Morgan Stanley to Lay Off About 3% of Workforce -- WSJ
- NANO FP : +17,5% in NY -->
- NEXI IM : Nexi 4Q Ebitda Misses Ests.; Takes €3.7b Goodwill Impairment, Nexi Targets Div Distribution Growth at Least 5%/Yr in 2026-2028
- NOVOB DC : Novo Chair Faces Investor Pushback Over Dual Leadership Roles
- NVDA US : Nvidia refocuses TSMC capacity as export controls stall China sales
- PAT GY : Patrizia Sees 2026 Ebitda EU60.0M to EU75.0M
- R3NK GY : RENK Group Sees 2026 Adj. Ebit EU255M to EU285M, Est. EU262.9M
- GFTI US : Rigetti Computing 4Q Revenue Misses Estimates
- SAN SM : Santander Exposure to Failed Lender MFS More Than £200 Million
- STG DC : Scandinavian Tobacco Proposes DKK4.50/Shr Div Vs DKK6.83 Est
- SNR LN : Arcline Is Said to Enter Battle for UK Aerospace Firm Senior
- SRG IM : Snam FY Adjusted Ebitda Meets Estimates, Snam Sees 2026 Adjusted Net Income Above EU1.45B, Est. EU1.41B
- SAX GY : Stroeer 4Q Adjusted Ebitda Beats Estimates
- TWEKA NA : TKH FY Revenue Meets Estimates
- TOM2 NA : Tomtom Nominates Mike Schoofs as CEO as Co-Founders Step Down
- TRMDA DC : Oaktree Capital Said to Seek $79.5 Million In Torm Share Sale
- VIE FP : Enviri Gets Early Antitrust Clearance for Clean Earth Sale
- VKTX US : VKTX: Viking Therapeutics management to meet with Truist
- WIZZ LN : Wizz Air Cuts Guidance as Iran Conflict Hits Flights, Jet Fuel, Wizz Air Falls as FY26 Profit Warning Casts Doubt
- YAR NO : Intrepid Potash 4Q Adjusted EPS Beats Estimates