Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Middle East Tensions Offset Weaker US Dollar 
Port of Los Angeles Posts Record June Cargo Volume as Importers Rush Ahead of U.S. Tariffs 
Dollar Holds Steady Ahead of U.S. CPI as Oil Surge, Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge 
China Home Prices Fall Again in June Despite Slower Pace of Decline 
Australian Business Conditions Hold Steady as Easing Cost Pressures Face New Oil Price Risks 
Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Surge, U.S.-Iran Tensions and Fed Rate Bets Weigh on Markets 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
Gold Price Holds Near Record High as Cooling U.S. Inflation Offsets Fed Caution 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
UBS Boosts China Tech Bets, Adds Kuaishou and Meituan to Focus List 
US Inflation Expected to Ease in June, but Fed Rate Hike Risks Persist Amid Middle East Tensions 
Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Middle East Tensions, Weak China GDP Weigh on Sentiment 
Australia Consumer Sentiment Rises in July as Fuel Price Relief Lifts Confidence 
South Korea Raises Interest Rates to 2.75% as Inflation and Weak Won Drive Tightening 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Selloff Deepens Ahead of TSMC Earnings 
Global equity markets surged to new records on Thursday, driven by expectations of imminent U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts, even as inflation data came in hotter than forecast. MSCI’s world stocks index climbed 0.72% to 971.72, its second straight record high, while Wall Street’s Dow Jones rose 1.36% to 46,108.00, the S&P 500 gained 0.85% to 6,587.47, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.72% to 22,043.08.
The latest U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in August, the largest jump in seven months, fueled by higher housing and food costs. However, weekly jobless claims surged by 27,000 to 263,000, their highest since October 2021, signaling labor market weakness. This shift reinforced market conviction that the Fed will begin a rate-cutting cycle at its meeting next week. Traders fully priced in a quarter-point cut, with odds of additional cuts in October and December climbing to 86% and 79% respectively, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
U.S. Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year note briefly dipping below 4%, while the dollar weakened against the euro, yen, sterling, and other major currencies. The euro rose 0.38% to $1.1738, and sterling gained 0.37% to $1.3579.
In Europe, the STOXX 600 closed up 0.6% after the ECB left rates unchanged at 2% and trimmed inflation forecasts.
Commodity markets turned lower, with U.S. crude sliding 2.04% to $62.37 a barrel and Brent falling 1.66% to $66.37 on demand concerns. Spot gold edged down 0.13% to $3,635.83 an ounce after recent record highs.
Markets remain locked in a tug of war between inflation pressures and weakening labor conditions, but investor sentiment is firmly tilted toward monetary easing, keeping equities buoyant despite global uncertainties.
