Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Middle East Tensions Offset Weaker US Dollar 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Goldman Sees Foreign Investors Driving India Stock Market Recovery 
Gold Price Holds Near $4,000 as Middle East Tensions and Fed Rate Hike Bets Grow 
UBS Boosts China Tech Bets, Adds Kuaishou and Meituan to Focus List 
ECB's Kocher Says No Inflation Spillover Yet From Iran Conflict, Warns Risks Remain 
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Escalates Iran Pressure, Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
IEA Warns China Rare Earth Export Curbs Could Threaten $6.5 Trillion in Global Production 
Japanese Yen Holds Steady as Intervention Hopes Grow Ahead of U.S. CPI Data 
Australian Business Conditions Hold Steady as Easing Cost Pressures Face New Oil Price Risks 
US Inflation Expected to Ease in June, but Fed Rate Hike Risks Persist Amid Middle East Tensions 
Oil Prices Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates and Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
Asian Stocks Rise as Softer U.S. Inflation Boosts Sentiment Despite Middle East Tensions 
Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Middle East Tensions, Weak China GDP Weigh on Sentiment 
Most Asian stock markets advanced Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates and signaled further easing, boosting investor sentiment across the region.
The Fed reduced its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.00–4.25%, its first cut since December, and projected two more reductions this year. Chair Jerome Powell said the move was aimed at “managing risks” amid signs of a softer U.S. labor market. Traders raised bets that U.S. rates could fall below 3.5% by 2026, fueling global risk appetite.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.2% to a record 45,296.21, supported by technology and energy shares, while the broader TOPIX rose 0.6%. A weaker yen also lifted exporter stocks. South Korea’s KOSPI gained 1%, led by chip giants SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, amid renewed AI optimism.
In China, the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.5% to a decade-high, while the CSI 300 added 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was flat after sharp gains earlier in the week. Reports that Beijing directed domestic firms to halt Nvidia AI chip purchases weighed on sentiment.
Elsewhere, Singapore’s Straits Times Index edged up 0.2%, and India’s Nifty 50 futures rose 0.2% ahead of market open.
Bucking the regional trend, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.7%, dragged by steep losses in the mining sector. Data showed employment fell by 5,400 in August, with a sharp drop in full-time jobs, reinforcing expectations of further Reserve Bank of Australia rate cuts.
New Zealand’s NZX 50 slipped nearly 1% after GDP shrank 0.9% in Q2, far worse than forecasts. Annual GDP contracted 0.6%, increasing pressure on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to accelerate easing.
