Fed Governor Hints at Potential Rate Cuts Amid Positive Inflation Trends 
U.S. Condemns China's Dominance in Global Shipbuilding and Maritime Sectors 
South Korea Inflation Edges Up in November as Food and Service Costs Climb 
Asian Markets Mixed as Fed Rate Cut Bets Grow and Japan’s Nikkei Leads Gains 
Trump and Lula Discuss Trade, Sanctions, and Security in “Productive” Phone Call 
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IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Gold Prices Rise as Markets Await Trump’s Policy Announcements 
Dollar Slides to Five-Week Low as Asian Stocks Struggle and Markets Bet on Fed Rate Cut 
Treasury Yields Dip as Dollar Gains Amid Fed Speculation 
U.S. Futures Steady as Rate-Cut Bets Rise on Soft Labor Data 
U.S. Soybean Shipments to China Gain Momentum as Trade Tensions Ease 
Wall Street Banks Plan to Sell $3 Billion of Elon Musk’s X Debt 
Rising Bond Yields Pose Risks to US Stocks and Boost Dollar 
South Korea Posts Stronger-Than-Expected 1.3% Economic Growth in Q3 
U.S. Banks Report Strong Q4 Profits Amid Investment Banking Surge 
Technology stocks led gains in Asia-Pacific markets on Wednesday, mirroring Wall Street's rally as concerns eased over the emergence of a low-cost Chinese AI model. Investors reconsidered the impact of DeepSeek’s AI, suggesting it may lack the scalability to disrupt the industry while potentially boosting demand for GPUs.
Japan's Nikkei gained 0.5%, snapping a three-day losing streak. Australia's ASX 200 climbed 0.8%, with tech stocks surging 2.2%. U.S. futures dipped slightly after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.9% and 2% overnight, rebounding from a previous 3% drop triggered by concerns over Nvidia’s valuation.
Investors are now eyeing earnings reports from Meta (NASDAQ:META), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), with questions surrounding AI-driven computing costs. The Federal Reserve's policy decision is also in focus, though rates are expected to remain unchanged.
The U.S. dollar stayed firm as traders rotated back from safe-haven currencies. The dollar index held at 107.91, while the yen weakened to 155.66 per dollar. The offshore yuan remained stable at 7.2763 per dollar. The Australian dollar dropped 0.4% to $0.6229 after weaker-than-expected inflation data raised rate cut expectations.
Oil prices held gains, with Brent crude at $77.47 per barrel and WTI at $73.82. Traders also monitored renewed U.S. tariff concerns after the White House reaffirmed plans for levies on Canada and Mexico, while weighing potential new tariffs on China.
Trading was thin due to Lunar New Year holidays in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.
