Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Thailand Inflation Remains Negative for 10th Straight Month in January 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
South Korea consumed 49.89 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power in January, up 6.1 percent from a year ago due to a severe cold wave and more working days despite a pandemic-induced business slump.
The average temperature was 3.6 C lower than usual across last month.
According to the Korea Power Exchange, the temperature went down below minus 20 C on Jan. 7, pushing the power demand up to 90.2 million kWh.
It marked the first time for the winter maximum electricity demand to exceed the 90 million kWh mark.
Despite the volume of consumption, the value of power sold went down 0.7 percent from a year ago to 4.58 trillion won, due to a drop in the average system marginal price (SMP) for electricity.
The SMP stood at 70.65 won per kWh in January, down 16.4 percent from the year before as coal and liquefied natural gas prices dropped amid weak crude prices.
