Asian Stocks Rise as Softer U.S. Inflation Boosts Sentiment Despite Middle East Tensions 
Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Selloff Deepens Ahead of TSMC Earnings 
Asian Stocks Rally as Cooling U.S. Inflation Boosts Fed Rate Cut Hopes 
Gold Prices Slip as Oil Rally Fuels Inflation Fears, Strengthens Dollar 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
Oil Prices Set for Weekly Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears 
Port of Los Angeles Posts Record June Cargo Volume as Importers Rush Ahead of U.S. Tariffs 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Malaysia Q2 Economy Grows 5.8%, Beating Forecasts on Strong Tech Exports and Domestic Demand 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
UBS Boosts China Tech Bets, Adds Kuaishou and Meituan to Focus List 
South Korea Raises Interest Rates to 2.75% as Inflation and Weak Won Drive Tightening 
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Escalates Iran Pressure, Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
Nikkei Plunges 5% as AI Stock Selloff Spreads Across Asia 
U.S. stock index futures remained largely unchanged Wednesday night as investors weighed mixed tech earnings and escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. Wall Street saw modest gains during the session, supported by easing Treasury yields.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) led a rally in chip stocks, offsetting Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) sharp 7% drop after weaker-than-expected cloud revenue. The S&P 500 Futures held at 6,088.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures dipped to 21,758.75 points. Dow Jones Futures remained flat at 45,011.0 points.
Stocks climbed as purchasing managers index data signaled a cooling U.S. economy, fueling speculation that the Federal Reserve might ease rates. However, fresh U.S. tariffs on China and Beijing’s retaliation kept markets uneasy. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) slipped on reports of a Chinese probe into its App Store.
Wall Street closed higher, with the Dow up 0.7% to 44,873.22 points, the S&P 500 gaining 0.4% to 6,061.47, and the Nasdaq Composite rising 0.2% to 19,692.33. Meanwhile, strong ADP nonfarm employment data stoked fears of a robust jobs report that could delay rate cuts.
Chipmakers Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Arm Holdings (NASDAQ: ARM) saw steep declines after issuing underwhelming forecasts. Qualcomm dropped over 4% as it projected no revenue growth in 2025 following its expired Huawei licensing deal. Arm slid more than 6% after its earnings outlook merely matched Wall Street expectations, dampening hopes for AI-driven demand.
Investor attention now turns to Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) upcoming earnings and the official nonfarm payrolls report for further market direction.
