Leading stock market indexes opened in record territory, with investors buoyed by signs of progress on a U.S.-China trade deal.Shortly after the start of trade on Friday, the S&P 500 rose 14 points, or 0.2%, to 6,155 points, surpassing its previous all-time closing high in February of 6,144. The index also briefly edged above its previous record on Thursday in intraday trading.The Nasdaq Composite gained 62 points, or 0.3 %, to 20,227, topping its previous record high of 20,174 on Dec. 16, 2024. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%...
Asian stock markets advanced broadly at Friday’s open, with a key gauge of global equities on track for another record high, as calming geopolitical concerns and rising expectations for US Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts this year fueled investor optimism. Trading desks across Asia are buzzing with excitement again, as the region appears to be shaking off recent tariff shocks and once again attracting investors with its solid growth prospects.The positive momentum in Asia-Pacific markets largely tracked gains seen on Wall Street. This followed comments from White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt,...
Asian stock markets found a degree of stability on Wednesday, with most regional indices trading steady to slightly higher. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, announced by US President Donald Trump, appeared to buoy investor sentiment, even as the situation in the Middle East remains tense. This cautious optimism, coupled with lower oil prices, is expected to provide a positive start for Indian benchmarks like the Sensex.A shaky truce between Israel and Iran has, for now, held, offering a respite from the acute geopolitical fears that had previously rattled...
With some major economies leaping onto the stablecoin train – or being urged to do so, to further globalise their currencies – others are mulling whether getting on board would be akin to either riding the gravy train or feeling it fail to gather steam.Now, the international financial organisation known as the “bank for central banks” has waded into the stablecoin debate as the buzzword gathers momentum.In a “special chapter” released on Tuesday in advance of Sunday’s release of its Annual Economic Report 2025, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS)...
The governor of China’s central bank outlined a plan on Wednesday for a global financial system that relies on several major currencies, not just the dollar, as Beijing steps up its campaign to weaken the U.S. dollar’s primacy.Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, did not mention the dollar by name but gave an extended critique of the potential dangers of international reliance on a single country’s currency.In a coded reference to the United States, Mr. Pan cited the dangers posed by fiscal and regulatory problems in...
Chinese tech giants Huawei Technologies and ByteDance are planning major investments in Brazil’s cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence sectors, moves likely to deepen US concerns over Beijing’s expanding digital reach in Latin America.The Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported on Monday that Huawei is set to announce a deal with Dataprev – a state-run technology company that manages the country’s social data systems – to use its data centres. Huawei is also in talks with Edge UOL, a cloud services arm of Grupo UOL PagSeguro, which also owns Folha.Executives...
In a significant shift for global financial markets, the trend of de-dollarization is gaining momentum across Asia, influencing stock markets and reshaping economic strategies. As countries in the region increasingly move away from reliance on the U.S. dollar for trade and financial transactions, the implications for investors and policymakers are profound. This movement, driven by geopolitical uncertainties and monetary policy shifts, has come into sharp focus in recent days, with fresh reports highlighting its growing impact on Asian economies and equity markets.Understanding de-dollarization in Asia Copy link to section De-dollarization...