China Home Prices Fall Again in June Despite Slower Pace of Decline 
Gold Prices Slip as Oil Rally Fuels Inflation Fears, Strengthens Dollar 
Japanese Yen Holds Steady as Intervention Hopes Grow Ahead of U.S. CPI Data 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Selloff Deepens Ahead of TSMC Earnings 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
ECB's Kocher Says No Inflation Spillover Yet From Iran Conflict, Warns Risks Remain 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Escalates Iran Pressure, Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Surge, U.S.-Iran Tensions and Fed Rate Bets Weigh on Markets 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
Gold Price Holds Near $4,000 as Middle East Tensions and Fed Rate Hike Bets Grow 
South Korea Raises Interest Rates to 2.75% as Inflation and Weak Won Drive Tightening 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Middle East Tensions Offset Weaker US Dollar 
South Korea’s KOSPI Enters Bear Market Despite Remaining 2026’s Best-Performing Major Stock Index 
Port of Los Angeles Posts Record June Cargo Volume as Importers Rush Ahead of U.S. Tariffs 
Asian Stocks Rise as Softer U.S. Inflation Boosts Sentiment Despite Middle East Tensions 
Asian stock markets took a significant hit this week as an escalating energy supply crisis pushed institutional analysts to sharply downgrade regional growth and corporate earnings forecasts. The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific ex Japan dropped 2.1%, while foreign investors pulled roughly $15 billion out of emerging Asian markets in a broad liquidation wave.
Goldman Sachs, in its latest Asia-Pacific Weekly Kickstart report, identified the primary driver as growing uncertainty around global oil supply. Commodities analysts more than doubled their disruption timeline estimate for reduced oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz — now projecting a 21-day outage versus a previous 10-day assumption. This revision has sent Brent crude price targets climbing toward $110 for March, adding significant pressure to oil-dependent economies across the region.
GDP forecasts for most Asian economies have been trimmed by 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points in response to the shock. Goldman's analysts further warned that every one-percentage-point decline in real GDP growth historically translates to a 3% to 4% swing in regional corporate earnings. In line with this, 2026 earnings estimates for the MXAPJ index were cut by 2%. India and the Philippines bore the steepest losses, each sliding around 5% as capital rapidly exited their oil-sensitive economies.
Compounding the bearish outlook, U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut expectations have been pushed back, with Goldman now anticipating cuts in September and December rather than the previously projected June and September timeline.
Taiwan and South Korea experienced the heaviest foreign outflows, prompting both governments to announce emergency market stabilization measures. China proved a notable exception, edging up 0.5%, though even its GDP estimate was marginally reduced. With institutional focus firmly on capital preservation, analysts caution that regional equities may remain under pressure until the energy situation stabilizes.
