Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Markets Brace for Big Tech Earnings and Key Data 
South Korea Exports Surge in January on AI Chip Demand, Marking Fastest Growth in 4.5 Years 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
Asian stocks opened cautiously higher on Wednesday as optimism grew that the U.S. Congress would soon end the historic federal government shutdown. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index (excluding Japan) gained 0.1% in early trade, while investors awaited final approval of a funding bill by the House of Representatives to reopen government agencies shuttered since October 1.
Australia’s ASX 200 advanced 0.2%, boosted by lithium and commodity stocks, while Japan’s Topix rose 0.6%. Market sentiment brightened after the U.S. Senate passed legislation to conclude the record shutdown, with analysts at Westpac noting that a House vote could soon follow.
In U.S. markets, the S&P 500 e-mini futures traded flat after a mixed Wall Street session on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.2% to a record high, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3%. With key economic reports delayed by the shutdown, traders turned their attention to ADP’s private jobs data, which showed employers shedding an average of 11,250 jobs weekly over the past month.
Growing concerns over slowing growth have strengthened expectations of another Federal Reserve rate cut. Fed funds futures now price in a 68% chance of a 25-basis-point reduction at the December 10 meeting, up from 62% the previous day, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
The U.S. dollar index slipped 0.2% to 99.45, its lowest this month, while the yen and euro remained steady at 154.13 and $1.1583, respectively. Brent crude climbed 1.6% to $65.09 a barrel, supported by fresh U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and hopes of political resolution in Washington. Gold rose 0.4% to $4,141.35 per ounce, and Bitcoin edged up 0.4% to $103,074.41, reflecting cautious investor optimism across global markets.
