Japan Nominates Reflationist Economists to BOJ Board, Signaling Policy Shift 
Asian Markets Slide as Nvidia Earnings, U.S.-Iran Tensions and AI Valuations Weigh on Investor Sentiment 
JPMorgan Posts Strong Q4 Revenue Growth Amid Market Rally 
U.S. Stocks Close Lower as Hot PPI Data, Nvidia Slide Weigh on Wall Street 
Oil Prices Steady as US-Iran Nuclear Talks and Rising Crude Inventories Shape Market Outlook 
PBOC Scraps FX Risk Reserves to Curb Rapid Yuan Appreciation 
Treasury Yields Dip as Dollar Gains Amid Fed Speculation 
How the UK’s rollback of banking regulations could risk another financial crisis 
Dominican Republic Unveils Massive Rare Earth Deposits to Boost High-Tech and Energy Sectors 
Rupee Marginally Weaker Amid Dollar Demand and RBI Intervention 
S&P 500 Hits Record High Amid Earnings and Trump's Davos Speech 
IMF Urges U.S. to Cut Fiscal Deficit to Reduce Trade and Current Account Gaps 
Venezuela Oil Exports to Reach $2 Billion Under U.S.-Led Supply Agreement 
Gold Hits Record High as Investors Eye Fed Chair Powell’s Speech on Tariffs 
Bank of America Clients Pour $1.1B into US Equities Amid Sector Shifts 
Hong Kong Economy Forecast to Grow 2.5%-3.5% in 2026, Budget Deficit Set to Narrow 
Asian markets mostly rose on Wednesday, led by a rally in technology stocks following OpenAI’s announcement of a $500 billion AI infrastructure partnership in the U.S. Key players in the venture include Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Japan’s SoftBank Group, which soared over 7%. The initiative, named "Stargate," boosted demand prospects for AI chips and data center infrastructure, driving gains in tech-heavy markets.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.5%, with chipmakers Advantest, Tokyo Electron, and SK Hynix rising between 2.2% and 4%. Taiwan’s TSMC added over 2% in trade, while South Korea’s KOSPI climbed 0.6%. Broader optimism from Wall Street, where Netflix surged 10% after strong earnings, also lifted sentiment across the region.
Other Asian markets followed suit, with Australia’s ASX 200 up 0.4%, and India’s Nifty 50 futures signaling a mildly positive open despite a prior slump.
However, Chinese shares lagged after U.S. President Donald Trump reignited trade war concerns by threatening a 10% tariff on Chinese imports by February, citing issues such as fentanyl trafficking. The Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite dropped 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.3%.
Trump’s tariff remarks underscored lingering trade tensions, though the proposed 10% tariff is far below his earlier 60% threat. Markets remain cautious as China is expected to introduce new stimulus measures to counter U.S. trade challenges.
Investors are also eyeing the Bank of Japan’s upcoming meeting, where a potential interest rate hike could signal confidence in improving economic growth and inflation. The tech rally, combined with global market cues, continues to dominate sentiment in Asian markets.
