Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
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.
