IEA Warns China Rare Earth Export Curbs Could Threaten $6.5 Trillion in Global Production 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Middle East Tensions, Weak China GDP Weigh on Sentiment 
Dollar Holds Steady Ahead of U.S. CPI as Oil Surge, Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge 
Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Selloff Deepens Ahead of TSMC Earnings 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Australian Business Conditions Hold Steady as Easing Cost Pressures Face New Oil Price Risks 
Asian Stocks Rise as Softer U.S. Inflation Boosts Sentiment Despite Middle East Tensions 
China Trade Surplus Hits $125.6 Billion as June Exports, Imports Smash Forecasts 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
Gold Price Holds Near Record High as Cooling U.S. Inflation Offsets Fed Caution 
Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Surge, U.S.-Iran Tensions and Fed Rate Bets Weigh on Markets 
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 
Australia Consumer Sentiment Rises in July as Fuel Price Relief Lifts Confidence 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Gold Price Holds Near $4,000 as Middle East Tensions and Fed Rate Hike Bets Grow 
Asian markets were mostly subdued on Tuesday as investors assessed the fragile U.S.-China trade truce and growing concerns over renewed technology tensions. South Korea’s KOSPI led regional losses, retreating sharply after a record-setting rally, while investors in Australia awaited the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) latest interest rate decision.
On Wall Street, stocks ended mixed overnight, supported by gains in the tech sector following a $38 billion cloud partnership between Amazon and OpenAI. However, U.S. stock futures slipped slightly during Asian trading hours, signaling investor caution amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.
Tensions resurfaced after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Nvidia’s next-generation Blackwell AI chips would be reserved for domestic use, effectively restricting exports to China. In a “60 Minutes” interview, Trump emphasized that these advanced chips would “stay in the U.S.,” highlighting the persistence of tech export curbs even after the recently agreed one-year trade truce. The move raised fresh concerns over potential supply-chain disruptions and the impact on China’s technology sector.
Following the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng urged Washington to respect Beijing’s “red lines,” stressing that while the truce has “recalibrated” relations, tensions could easily reignite if issues such as Taiwan and human rights are challenged.
In regional markets, China’s CSI 300 slipped 0.5%, while the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was flat, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 was little changed after a holiday, though the TOPIX rose 0.4%. Singapore’s Straits Times Index edged down 0.2%, and India’s Nifty 50 futures also moved slightly lower.
Attention turned to the RBA, which was widely expected to keep rates unchanged at 3.60% amid sticky inflation. Investors are watching closely for signals on potential rate cuts in 2026 as global economic uncertainty lingers.
