Canada and Germany Advance Major LNG Supply Partnership 
New World Screwworm Found Near U.S. Border Raises Threat to Cattle Industry and Beef Prices 
Wall Street Reaches New Record Highs as AI Boom and Iran Ceasefire Hopes Boost Markets 
Tokyo Inflation Cools in May, Supporting BOJ’s Cautious Rate Hike Path 
Dollar Gains Slightly as U.S.-Iran Tensions Keep Forex Markets on Edge 
ECB’s Philip Lane Warns Middle East Conflict Could Keep Inflation Elevated 
South Korea Central Bank Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Inflation Concerns 
European EV Sales Surge in April 2026 as Tesla and Chinese Automakers Gain Ground 
Asian Stocks Rally as AI Boom and Iran Ceasefire Progress Lift Market Sentiment 
US Imposes Fresh Iran Oil Sanctions Despite Progress on Ceasefire Talks 
Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks Remain Unresolved as Strait of Hormuz Risks Keep Markets on Edge 
US Launches New Trade Investigation Into Vietnam Over Intellectual Property Concerns 
US Dollar Slips as Markets Weigh Potential US-Iran Peace Deal and Oil Price Outlook 
Nikkei Hits Record High as AI Chip Stocks Power Japan Market Rally 
Asian Markets Slide as New U.S. Strikes on Iran Spark Investor Caution 
U.S. Launches New Strikes on Iran as Trump Signals Peace Deal Uncertainty 
Asian markets mostly declined on Wednesday, echoing Wall Street’s weak overnight performance as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data and renewed trade tariff threats from President Donald Trump rattled investor sentiment. Most indexes across the region slipped, weighed down by concerns over prolonged Federal Reserve rate hikes and global trade tensions.
Mainland Chinese markets underperformed after a mixed Q2 GDP report fueled fears of an extended economic slowdown. The Shanghai Composite and CSI 300 both dipped 0.2%. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index defied the regional trend, rising up to 0.8% on strong gains in tech stocks. Optimism surged after Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) confirmed it would resume sales of its sought-after AI chips in China, sparking rallies in local AI giants like Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU), Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), and Tencent.
Baidu further gained momentum with a 3% jump in its Hong Kong shares (HK:9888) following news of a global robotaxi partnership with Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER). Analysts say access to Nvidia’s chips could significantly boost China’s AI capabilities through leaders like ByteDance and DeepSeek.
Still, broader gains were limited due to economic worries from the mainland. Across Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX both fell 0.2%, while South Korea’s KOSPI declined 0.7%. Australia’s ASX 200 slid 0.9% on profit-taking near record highs. Singapore’s Straits Times edged slightly higher, and India’s Gift Nifty 50 Futures remained flat.
U.S. CPI data reinforced concerns over inflationary pressure from Trump’s trade policies, with the S&P 500 Futures down 0.1% in Asian trade. Trump’s latest move includes imposing 25% tariffs on imports from South Korea and Japan starting August 1, and a 19% duty on Indonesia, raising fears of escalating trade tensions across Asia.
