U.S. Treasury Yields Expected to Decline Amid Cooling Economic Pressures 
Rupee Marginally Weaker Amid Dollar Demand and RBI Intervention 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Reignites AI Spending Concerns 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
SoftBank Eyes Up to $25B OpenAI Investment Amid AI Boom 
Bank of America Posts Strong Q4 2024 Results, Shares Rise 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
US Signals Openness to New Trade Deal as Brazil Shows Willingness, Says USTR Greer 
Gold Prices Slip Slightly in Asia as Silver Nears Record Highs on Dovish Fed Outlook 
Stock Futures Slip as Amazon Tumbles on Weak Outlook, Eyes on Jobs Data 
Brazil Holds Selic Rate at 15% as Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Gold Hits Record High as Investors Eye Fed Chair Powell’s Speech on Tariffs 
Fed’s Dovish Tone Sends Dollar Lower as Markets Price In More Rate Cuts 
SoftBank and OpenAI Lead $19B Investments in Stargate AI Initiative 
Asian markets mostly rose on Wednesday, led by a rally in technology stocks following OpenAI’s announcement of a $500 billion AI infrastructure partnership in the U.S. Key players in the venture include Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Japan’s SoftBank Group, which soared over 7%. The initiative, named "Stargate," boosted demand prospects for AI chips and data center infrastructure, driving gains in tech-heavy markets.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.5%, with chipmakers Advantest, Tokyo Electron, and SK Hynix rising between 2.2% and 4%. Taiwan’s TSMC added over 2% in trade, while South Korea’s KOSPI climbed 0.6%. Broader optimism from Wall Street, where Netflix surged 10% after strong earnings, also lifted sentiment across the region.
Other Asian markets followed suit, with Australia’s ASX 200 up 0.4%, and India’s Nifty 50 futures signaling a mildly positive open despite a prior slump.
However, Chinese shares lagged after U.S. President Donald Trump reignited trade war concerns by threatening a 10% tariff on Chinese imports by February, citing issues such as fentanyl trafficking. The Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite dropped 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.3%.
Trump’s tariff remarks underscored lingering trade tensions, though the proposed 10% tariff is far below his earlier 60% threat. Markets remain cautious as China is expected to introduce new stimulus measures to counter U.S. trade challenges.
Investors are also eyeing the Bank of Japan’s upcoming meeting, where a potential interest rate hike could signal confidence in improving economic growth and inflation. The tech rally, combined with global market cues, continues to dominate sentiment in Asian markets.
