Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
ADB Approves $400 Million Loan to Boost Ease of Doing Business in the Philippines 
Gold Prices Hold Firm as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut; Silver Surges to Record High 
Brazil Holds Selic Rate at 15% as Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
Indonesia–U.S. Tariff Talks Near Completion as Both Sides Push for Year-End Deal 
Asian Stocks Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Sparks AI Profitability Concerns 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Japan Weighs New Tax Breaks to Boost Corporate Investment Amid Spending Debate 
Asian Stocks Slip Ahead of Fed Decision as China Deflation Concerns Deepen 
Oil Prices Rebound in Asia as Venezuela Sanctions Risks Offset Ukraine Peace Hopes 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Reignites AI Spending Concerns 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
US Signals Openness to New Trade Deal as Brazil Shows Willingness, Says USTR Greer 
Asian stocks traded mixed on Wednesday, supported by record highs on Wall Street while Australian shares declined after inflation data reduced prospects of near-term rate cuts. Investor sentiment was dominated by the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, widely expected to conclude with a 25-basis-point rate cut later in the day.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged over 2% to a new record of 51,311.47, driven by strong gains in chipmakers and AI-related stocks. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) jumped 5% overnight after announcing plans to build seven AI supercomputers for the U.S. Department of Energy. The broader TOPIX index remained steady. In South Korea, the KOSPI hit an all-time high of 4,078.99, with SK Hynix (KS:000660) soaring on record third-quarter earnings fueled by booming demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI servers.
Market optimism in Japan was further supported by a new U.S.-Japan rare earths agreement signed during former President Donald Trump’s visit to Tokyo. Attention also turned to Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where discussions are expected to focus on easing trade tensions and avoiding new tariffs.
China’s blue-chip CSI 300 rose 0.5%, and the Shanghai Composite added 0.3%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.3%. Singapore’s Straits Times Index slipped 0.3%, and Nifty 50 futures edged 0.2% higher.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.8% after third-quarter CPI data came in above expectations. Headline inflation rose 1.3% for the quarter, while the trimmed mean climbed 1.0%, bringing the annual rate to 3.0%. The stronger inflation figures prompted traders to delay bets on rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of Australia, with Westpac analysts noting that even a February cut “is far from certain” following the upside surprise.
